Lobotomy (Slang)

About

Lobotomy is a slang term used on social media platforms like TikTok (among others) that describes nonsensical and scrambled visuals, jokes and associations akin to the human brain functioning more chaotically and slowly after a lobotomy procedure. "Lobotomy" has become synonymous with schizoposting and brain rot, another way to describe avant-garde Zoomer Humor and post-ironic content. Overall, so-called lobotomy content is akin to a broken sense of humor caused by being chronically online. The usage of "lobotomy" started with the Me Everytime After The Lobotomy video that showed Bart Simpson bumping into walls to imply confusion. Online usage of "lobotomy" became commonplace after the popularity of Hood Irony memes in 2023, leading to the Hood Lobotomy genre of videos. Going into early 2024, "lobotomy" was used to describe Lobotomy Kaisen and Lobotomy Dash, which were coined by the Jujutsu Kaisen and Geometry Dash fandoms to describe the abstract degradation of their memes and humor.

Origin

Historically, a lobotomy is a discontinued medical procedure in which holes are made in the front of a patient's skull to take out pieces of the frontal lobe.^[1] Lobotomies were invented in the 1930s and were used to treat mental disorders like schizophrenia.^[1] By removing pieces of the frontal lobe, the schizophrenic patient (for example) would have the schizophrenic parts of their brain removed.^[1] Lobotomies are not practiced in 2024.^[1]

The usage of the word "lobotomy" in memes started with a video posted by Redditor Jacooo2019 to /r/okbuddyretard ^[2][3] on November 9th, 2021. The video had a top caption reading, "me everytime after the lobotomy 🤦🏾‍♂️😂:" and showed footage of Bart Simpson running around and hitting walls from the 2007 video game The Simpsons Game while the filter became embossed and negative. Additionally, The Beatles' album cover for Abbey Road periodically flashed with odd sound effects playing. Over three years, the video received roughly 3,100 upvotes before it was removed by the subreddit's moderators. It is currently the first-known posting of the video (YouTube^[4] upload shown below).

Spread

Hood Lobotomy

Going into late 2021 and early 2022, re-edits of the "Me Everytime After The Lobotomy" video spread on iFunny ^[5] and TikTok.^[6] During the same timeframe, Greenscreen Silhouette Irony spread on Instagram and TikTok, leading to the first utterance of "Hood Lobotomy" to describe the chaotic Hood Irony videos.

In the comment section of a Hood Irony video posted by TikToker^[7] @hoodirony.university on December 26th, 2022, a TikToker named @diet_chlorine_dioxide wrote, "this is me during the lobotomy," gaining over 490 likes in one year (shown below). The comment is currently the first known association between the two memes.

Then, on January 4th, 2023, TikToker^[8] @brothereric51 posted the first known video within the #hoodlobotomy hashtag, gaining roughly 384,900 plays and 89,600 likes in one year (shown below, left).

Soon after, others started to use the #hoodlobotomy tag, like TikToker^[9] @juandavious_pringle on January 8th, 2023, gaining 209,300 plays and 17,000 likes in a year (shown below, right).

Lobotomy Kaisen

Lobotomy Kaisen is a catchphrase used to describe fan art, memes and internet posts created by fans of the anime and manga series Jujutsu Kaisen when the show or anime goes on a production break. Coined on the subreddit /r/JujutsuFolk in late 2023, Lobotomy Kaisen is used to describe the influx of JJK memes such as Domain Expansion, Nah I'd Win and Gojo Backshots. The phrase uses the slang term "lobotomy" as a way to describe the chaotic and nonsensical nature of the memes.

Lobotomy Dash

Lobotomy Dash refers to a loose set of user-created Geometry Dash levels that share the common theme of brain rot and include elements such as warped Difficulty Faces, heavy visual effects, shifts in music and Fire in the Hole sound effect. The phrase uses the slang term "lobotomy" as a way to describe the chaotic and nonsensical nature of the memes. The trend achieved major popularity in the Geometry Dash community following the release of the 2.2 update for the game in late December 2023, which added new features for the level editor.

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References