The Effect of Brain Rot and Reading Interest on Students’ Mathematical Critical Thinking: A Literature Review

Rafifah Darajathul Aliyah; Netriwati Netriwati; Mentari Fortuna Wati; Annisa Nabila Artanti; Rajwana Fatih Ihsania; Vina Viola

doi:10.30998/57zjcx43

Authors

Rafifah Darajathul Aliyah MAN 1 Bandar Lampung Author
Netriwati Netriwati UIN Raden Intan Lampung Author
Mentari Fortuna Wati UIN Raden Intan Lampung Author
Annisa Nabila Artanti UIN Raden Intan Lampung Author
Rajwana Fatih Ihsania UIN Raden Intan Lampung Author
Vina Viola UIN Raden Intan Lampung Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30998/57zjcx43

Keywords:

Brain Rot, Reading Interest, Mathematical Critical Thinking, Mathematics Education

Abstract

This study synthesizes empirical findings from studies published between 2014–2026 to identify how excessive exposure to low-quality digital content and reading interest influence students’ cognitive engagement and mathematical critical thinking. The increasing exposure of students to short-form digital content has raised concerns regarding declining cognitive engagement and higher-order thinking skills, particularly in mathematics learning. This study employed a systematic literature review by analyzing peer-reviewed articles indexed in Google Scholar and Scopus published between 2014 and 2026 The review revealed that excessive consumption of fragmented digital content weakens sustained attention, cognitive engagement, and analytical reasoning, which are essential components of mathematical critical thinking. The findings indicate that excessive exposure to low-quality digital content negatively affects students’ concentration, cognitive engagement, and higher-order thinking skills. In contrast, reading interest supports students’ ability to analyze, evaluate, and solve mathematical problems critically. The review also shows that cognitive engagement plays an important role in linking digital behavior and mathematical critical thinking. These findings emphasize the importance of strengthening reading habits and managing digital consumption to support students’ critical thinking skills in mathematics learning.

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