Knowledgemaxxing, Research as a Leisure Activity and the Gen Z Yearning for Intellectual Growth

Words: Nicole Pereira

Swap out ‘Your Birth Month, Your AI’ videos for notebooks, academic journals, and critical analysis - the girls are brushing up on their research skills. A new wave of intellectualism has liberated a niche corner of TikTok, known as the ‘Research as a Leisure Activity’ community. A growing group of philomaths has taken to the platform to share their enthusiasm for learning, and, as some like to call it, ‘knowledgemaxxing’. The notion of research, often associated with academia, has gained a new meaning - one driven by self-study and playfulness, fuelled by niche interests or a desire for intellectual empowerment. In this scholarly nook, the Internet pendulum has swung so far away from brain-rot culture that users are building communities within which research methodologies and literary interests have become pastimes and areas of peacefulness. Composed largely of Gen Z creators - the true first generation of digital natives -  one questions the correlation between AI fatigue, the state of being chronically online, and a genuine fear of media illiteracy, marching the movement towards intellectual growth.

‘Research as a Leisure Activity’ gained traction following a piece composed by Celine Nguyen, which shares its title with the trend. The writer refers to research as a leisurely practice, as undisciplined and playful, turning what is usually an academic obligation into a source of fulfillment. Following the post, which received 1.6K reshares, the idea of research as a hobby began to spread across TikTok. From ‘Spend a Research Day With Me’ to ‘Media to Consume Instead of Doomscrolling’ and ‘Topics I am Researching This Week’, the curious and inquisitive are sharing their favourite research practices. While for some, research is synonymous with tranquility: jotting paper, a chai-scented candle, and ceramic tea bowls. For others, it is a source of power, an obligation ahead of big decision-making events, educated conversations, and referendums. Topics explored range widely, from political to social to biological and scientific reads; a deep-dive into the effects of social media on the adult brain or culture-centred themes, like the original halter top and the evolution of mermaids. The regular trajectory of research as a hobby consults various accessible media: physical books, JSTOR, Google Scholar, and the new kid on the block, Substack. Within these spaces of particulars, leisurely researchers consult information of varying degrees; whether analysing statistical data or grappling with academic essays, the scholars of TikTok are nose-deep in. 
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While the movement is a playful way to learn more about idiosyncratic interests, it simultaneously reflects a quest for intellectual empowerment, with users expressing a desire to ‘un-rot’ and sharpen their brain - using research as a tool to do so. Amid the collective, several creators express their concern about the propaganda and fake news that circulates the Internet, with digital media literacy being a meaningful skill and an intention behind their research. Together with this, one could consider Gen Z’s apprehension about AI developments a further provocation. The expansion of AI has begun to saturate a considerable chunk of our daily lives. Whether your Google search meets you with an AI-generated answer or you’re being fooled into believing a colony of bunnies gathered together to hop on a trampoline, AI’s firm establishment in our culture is beginning to feel very real. As a result, there is a growing concern regarding its impact on critical thinking skills: problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making abilities. Following emerging evidence analysed by Prof. Michael Gerlich (2025), an over-reliance on AI-driven decision-support systems (DSS) like ChatGPT could lead to cognitive offloading, leaving individuals feeling as if they can’t make decisions without the help of these tools. The considerable amount of misinformation, censorship, and now AI-generated content online has left many young individuals reflecting on the significance of critical thinking, with self-study as a means to take charge of their cognitive functioning.  

“TikTok researchers encourage viewers to consciously seek the media they consume, expressing disdain for content that is unchallenging or frivolous.”

With Oxford University Press titling ‘brain-rot’ as the word of the year in 2024, AI-driven DSS  and media illiteracy alone are not the sole motivators for TikTok intellects. Phone addiction is an issue faced by almost all digital natives. According to The New Britain Project, almost half of Gen Z point to social media as the leading negative influence on teenage mental health, and 50% wish they had minimised the time spent on their phones growing up. In the article, ‘The “online brain”: how the Internet may be changing our cognition’, Joseph Firth et al. (2019) provide an analysis of existing research and contemporary hypotheses relevant to the effect that the Internet and smart devices have on our cognitive abilities - theorising that the online world can negatively impact sustained concentration. 

Doomscrolling and phone addiction are habits systematically programmed into smart devices. Phones, tablets, and laptops are designed to impart information incessantly through notification pop-ups, resulting in “media multi-tasking”, a constant switching between apps, which feeds us quick yet low-value information in our pursuit of a dopamine hit. The continuous search for instant gratification further leads to habitual “checking” behaviours where, although information is not being delivered at that instant, smartphone users continue to check their device seeking information rewards. Whether it's a ceaseless game of ping pong between popular social platforms or doomscrolling on their favourite app, close to half of Gen Z participate in endless information gathering. These behaviours have led to individuals struggling with sustained attention, with some sharing that they aren’t able to read a book without becoming distracted by the desire to scroll. To discourage these patterns, TikTok researchers encourage viewers to consciously seek the media they consume, expressing disdain for content that is unchallenging or frivolous. Research hobbyist and creator Em, a student at Cambridge, says in a video, “You need to be consuming information in an intentional way, rather than just simply being a passive being on which information is projected.”  

Recreational learning is summoning philomaths in numbers. Whether exploring for play or practice, learning something new has never been more chic. In these unprecedented times, critical thinking is a powerful tool to possess, it encourages us to make decisions and reason confidently, preventing us from falling victim to cognitive offloading regarding the things that matter. Whatever the topic, be it the history of the Ouija board or quantum physics, knowledge enriches us; it shapes our character, our opinions, and our perception of the world. ‘Research as a Leisure Activity’ is whimsical and serious all at once, and it is taking on the world, one peculiar passion and Louise Carmen-esque journal at a time.