1,656
Views
2
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Articles

‘Incels are shit-post kings’: incels’ perceptions of online forum content

ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Pages 4-26 | Received 29 Mar 2022, Accepted 13 Dec 2022, Published online: 23 Jan 2023

References

  • Abrams, D., and M. A. Hogg. 2010. “Social Identity and Self-Categorization.” In The SAGE Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination, edited by J. F. Dovidio, M. Hewstone, P. Glick, and V. M. Esses, 179–193, London: SAGE.
  • Barcellona, M. 2022. “Incel Violence as a New Terrorism Threat: A Brief Investigation Between Alt-Right and Manosphere Dimensions.” Journal of Emergent Socio-Legal Studies 11 (2): 170–186. https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/sortuz/article/download/1471/1582/8646.
  • Barrett, A., A. Kajamaa, and J. Johnston. 2020. “How to … Be Reflexive When Conducting Qualitative Research.” The Clinical Teacher 17 (1): 9–12. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13133.
  • Bennett, G. R. 2010. Using Corpora in the Language Learning Classroom: Corpus Linguistics for Teachers. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press.
  • Birt, L., S. Scott, D. Cavers, C. Campbell, and F. Walter. 2016. “Member Checking: A Tool to Enhance Trustworthiness or Merely a Nod to Validation?” Qualitative Health Research 26 (13): 1802–1811. doi:10.1177/1049732316654870.
  • Braun, V., and V. Clarke. 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
  • Bruch, E. E., and M. F. J. Newman. 2018. “Aspiration Pursuit of Mates in Online Dating Markets.” Science Advances 4 (8): 1–6. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aap9815.
  • Buckels, E. E., P. D. Trapnell, T. Andjelovic, and D. L. Paulhus. 2019. “Internet Trolling and Everyday Sadism: Parallel Effects on Pain Perception and Moral Judgment.” Journal of Personality 87 (2): 328–340. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.016.
  • Buckels, E. E., P. D. Trapnell, and D. L. Paulhus. 2014. “Trolls Just Want to Have Fun.” Personality and Individual Difference 67: 97–102. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.016.
  • Bundel, A. 2019. “‘Joker,’ Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Sparked an Incel Controversy Because It’s Hopelessly Hollow.” NBC News, October 5. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/joker-starring-joaquin-phoenix-sparked-incel-controversy-because-it-s-ncna1062656.
  • Check, J. V. P., D. Perlman, and N. M. Malamuth. 1985. “Loneliness and Aggressive Behaviour.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 2 (3): 243–252. doi:10.1177/0265407585023001.
  • Cheng, J., M. Bernstein, C. Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil, and L. Jure (2017). Anyone Can Become a Troll: Causes of Trolling Behavior in Online Discussions. Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW ’17), 1217–1239. 10.1145/2998181.2998213
  • Costello, W., V. Rolon, A. G. Thomas, and D. Schmitt. 2022. “Levels of Well-Being Among Men Who are Incel (Involuntarily Celibate).” Evolutionary Psychological Science 8 (4): 375–390. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-022-00336-x.
  • Cruz, A. G. B., Y. Seo, and M. Rex. 2018. “Trolling in Online Communities: A Practice-Based Theoretical Perspective.” The Information Society 34 (1): 15–26. doi:10.1080/01972243.2017.1391909.
  • Daly, S. E. 2022. “An Asian American Woman’s Reflexive Account of Direct Research with Incels”. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research 23(3). Art. 3. doi:10.17169/fqs-23.3.3932.
  • Daly, S. E., and A. Laskovtsov. 2022. ““Goodbye My Friendcels”: An Analysis of Incel Suicide Posts.” Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology 11 (1). doi:10.21428/88de04a1.b7b8b295.
  • Daly, S. E., and S. M. Reed. 2022. ““I Think Most of Society Hates Us”: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Interviews with Incels.” Sex Roles 86 (1–2): 14–33. doi:10.1007/s11199-021-01250-5.
  • Davis, J. L., and T. Graham. 2021. “Emotional Consequences and Attention Rewards: The Social Effects of Ratings on Reddit.” Information, Communication & Society 24 (5): 649–666. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2021.1874476.
  • Dutton, D. G., and C. Karakanta. 2013. “Depression as a Risk Marker for Aggression: A Critical Review.” Aggression and Violent Behavior 18 (2): 310–319. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.12.002.
  • Dynel, M. 2020. “Vigilante Disparaging Humour at R/IncelTears: Humour as Critique of Incel Ideology.” Language & Communication 74: 1–2. doi:10.1016/j.langcom.2020.05.001.
  • Eustachewich, L. 2019. “US Army Warns About Possible Mass Shootings by Incels at ‘Joker’ Screenings.” New York Post, September 25. https://nypost.com/2019/09/25/us-army-warns-about-possible-mass-shootings-by-incels-at-joker-screenings/.
  • Fichman, P., and M. R. Sanfilippo. 2015. “The Bad Boys and Girls of Cyberspace: How Gender and Context Impact Perception of Reaction to Trolling.” Social Science Computer Review 33 (2): 163–180. doi:10.1177/0894439314533169.
  • Gammon, A. 2014. “Over a Quarter of Americans Have Made Malicious Online Comments.” YouGov, October 20. https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2014/10/20/over-quarter-americans-admit-malicious-online-comm.
  • Ging, D. 2019. “Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere.” Men and masculinities 22 (4): 638–657. doi:10.1177/1097184X17706401.
  • Glace, A. M., T. L. Dover, and J. G. Zatkin. 2021. “Taking the Black Pill: An Empirical Analysis of the “Incel”.” Psychology of Men and Masculinities 22 (2): 288–297. Advance online publication. doi:10.1037/men0000328.
  • Glaser, B. G., and A. L. Strauss. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine.
  • Golf-Papez, M., and E. Veer. 2017. “Don’t Feed the Trolling: Rethinking How Online Trolling is Being Defined and Combated.” Journal of Marketing Management 33 (15–16): 1336–1354. doi:10.1080/0267257X.2017.1383298.
  • Griffin, J. (2021, August 13). Incels: Inside a Dark World of Online Hate. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-44053828
  • Hample, D. 2003. “Arguing skill.” In Handbook of Communication and Social Interaction Skills, edited by J. O. Greene and B. B. Burleson, 439–478, Mahwah, New Jersey: Routledge.
  • Hample, D., and A. L. Irons. 2015. “Arguing to Display Identity.” Argumentation 29 (4): 389–416. doi:10.1007/s10503-015-9351-9.
  • Heritage, F., and V. Koller. 2020. “Incel, In-Groups, and Ideologies: The Representation of Gendered Social Actors in a Sexuality-Based Online Community.” Journal of Language and Sexuality 9 (2): 152–178. doi:10.1075/jls.19014.her.
  • Jaki, S., T. De Smedt, M. Gwóźdź, R. Pancha, A. Rossa, and G. De Pauw. 2019. “Online Hatred of Women in the Incels.Me Forum: Linguistic Analysis and Automatic Detection.” Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict 7 (2): 240–268. doi:10.1075/jlac.00026.jak.
  • Jane, E. A. 2014. “‘Back to the Kitchen, Cunt’: Speaking the Unspeakable About Online Misogyny.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 28 (4): 558–570. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2014.924479.
  • March, E., and J. Marrington. 2019. “A Qualitative Analysis of Internet Trolling.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking 22 (3): 192–197. doi:10.1089/cyber.2018.0210.
  • Massanari, A. 2017. “#gamergate and the Fappening: How Reddit’s Algorithm, Governance, and Culture Support Toxic Technocultures.” New Media & Society 19 (3): 329–346. doi:10.1177/1461444815608807.
  • Maxwell, D., S. R. Robinson, J. R. Williams, and C. Keaton. 2020. ““A Short Story of a Lonely Guy”: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Involuntary Celibacy Using Reddit.” Sexuality & Culture 24 (6): 1852–1874. doi:10.1007/s12119-020-09724-6.
  • McCorkel, J., and K. Meyers. 2003. “What Difference Does Difference Make? Position and Privilege in the Field.” Qualitative sociology 26 (2): 199–231. doi:10.1023/A:1022967012774.
  • McEwan, S. 2017. “Nation of Shitposters: Ironic Engagement with the Facebook Posts of Shannon Noll as a Reconfiguration of an Australian National Identity.” Journal of Media and Communication 8: 19–39.
  • Menzie, L. 2020. “Stacys, Beckys, and Chads: The Construction of Femininity and Hegemonic Masculinity Within Incel Rhetoric.” Psychology & Sexuality 13 (1): 69–85. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/19419899.2020.1806915.
  • Morton, J., A. Ash, K. Reidy, N. Kates, M. Ellenberg, and A. Speckhard. 2021. Asking Incels (Part 1): Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 Quarantine and Coverage of the Canadian Terrorism Designation on Incel Isolation and Resentment. International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. https://www.icsve.org/asking-incels-part-1-assessing-the-impacts-of-covid-19-quarantine-and-coverage-of-the-canadian-terrorism-designation-on-incel-isolation-and-resentment/.
  • Moustakas, C. 1994. Phenomenological Research Methods. SAGE Publications. doi:10.4135/9781412995658.
  • Nagle, A. 2017. Kill All Normies: Online Culture Wars from 4chan and Tumblr to Trump and the Alt-Right. Winchester, UK: Zero Books.
  • Naples, N. A. 2003. Feminism and Method: Ethnography, Discourse Analysis, and Activist Research. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315889245.
  • O’Donnell, C., and E. Shor. 2022. ““This is a Political Movement, Friend”: Why “Incels” Support Violence.” The British Journal of Sociology 73 (2): 336–351. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12923.
  • O’Malley, R. L., K. Holt, and T. J. Holt. 2020. “An Exploration of the Involuntary Celibate (Incel) Subculture.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37 (7–8): NP4981–5008. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/0886260520959625.
  • Pelzer, B., L. Kaati, K. Cohen, and J. Fernquist. 2021. “Toxic Language in Online Incel Communities.” SN Social Sciences 1 (8). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00220-8.
  • Phillips, W. 2015. This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship Between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
  • Prażmo, E. 2020. “Foids are Worse Than Animals: A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of Dehumanizing Metaphors in Online Discourse.” Topics in Linguistics 21 (2): 16–27. doi:10.2478/topling-2020-0007.
  • Preston, K., M. Halpin, and F. Maguire. 2021. “The Black Pill: New Technology and the Male Supremacy of the Involuntarily Celibate Men.” Men and masculinities 24 (5): 823–841. doi:10.1177/1097184X211017954.
  • Saunders, B., J. Sim, T. Kingstone, S. Bakers, J. Waterfield, B. Bartlam, H. Burroughs, and C. Jinks. 2018. “Saturation in Qualitative Research: Exploring Its Conceptualization and Operationalization.” Quality & Quantity 52 (4): 1893–1907. doi:10.1007/s11135-017-0574-8.
  • Scaptura, M. N., and K. M. Boyle. 2019. “Masculinity Threat, “Incel” Traits, and Violent Fantasies Among Heterosexual Men in the United States.” Feminist Criminology 15 (3): 278–298. doi:10.1177/1556085119896415.
  • Shachaf, P., and N. Hara. 2010. “Beyond Vandalism: Wikipedia Trolls.” Journal of Information Science 36 (3): 357–370. doi:10.1177/0165551510365390.
  • Shaghaghi, A., R. S. Bhopal, and A. Sheikh. 2011. “Approaches to Recruiting ‘Hard-To-Reach’ Populations into Research: A Review of the Literature.” Health Promotion Perspective 1 (2): 86–94. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3963617/pdf/hpp-1-86.pdf.
  • Simi, P., and S. Windisch. 2020. “The Culture of Violent Talk: An Interpretive Approach.” Social sciences 9 (7): 1–16. doi:10.3390/socsci9070120.
  • Sparks, B., A. Zidenberg, and M. E. Olver. 2022. “An Exploratory Study of Incels’ Dating App Experiences, Mental Health, and Relational Well- Being [Preprint].” ResearchGate. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.29838.23362.
  • Speckhard, A., M. Ellenberg, J. Morton, and A. Ash. 2021. “Involuntary Celibates’ Experiences of and Grievance of Sexual Exclusion and the Potential Threat of Violence Among Those Active in an Online Incel Forum.” Journal of Strategic Security 14 (2): 89–121. doi:10.5038/1944-0472.14.2.1910.
  • Stephan, W. G., O. Ybarra, and K. Rios Morrison. 2009. “Intergroup Threat Theory.” In Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotypes, and Discrimination, 1st edition, edited by T. D. Nelson, 43–60, London: Psychology Press.
  • Stoltz, N. H. 2019. “The Playful Divide: A New Look at Arguing for Play.” Argumentation and Advocacy 55 (2): 115–131. doi:10.1080/10511431.2018.1519383.
  • Sugiura, L. 2021. “The Incel Rebellion: The Rise of the Manosphere and the Virtual War Against Women.” Emerald Publishing https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/the-incel-rebellion/?k=9781839822575.
  • Sykes, G. M., and D. Matza. 1957. “Techniques of Neutralization: A Theory of Delinquency.” American sociological review 22 (6): 664–670. doi:10.2307/2089195.
  • Tajfel, H., and J. C. Turner. 1986. “The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior.” In Psychology of Intergroup Relation, edited by S. Worchel and W. G. Austin, 7–24, Chicago: Hall Publishers.
  • Tranchese, A., and L. Sugiura. 2021. “‘I Don’t Hate All Women, Just Those Stuck-Up Bitches’: How Incels and Mainstream Pornography Speak the Same Extreme Language of Misogyny.” Violence Against Women 27 (14): 2709–2734. doi:10.1177/1077801221996453.
  • Walster, E., V. Aronson, D. Abrahams, and L. Rottman. 1966. “Importance of Physical Attractiveness in Dating Behavior.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 4 (5): 508–516. doi:10.1037/h0021188.
  • Witt, T. 2020. “‘If I Cannot Have It, I Will Do Everything That I Can to Destroy It.’ the Canonization of Elliot Rodger: ‘Incel’ Masculinities, Secular Sainthood, and Justifications of Ideological Violence.” Social Identities 26 (5): 675–689. doi:10.1080/13504630.2020.1787132.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.