Abstract
Involuntary celibates, or “incels,” are people who identify themselves by their inability to establish sexual partnerships. In this article, we use analytic abduction to qualitatively analyze 9,062 comments on a popular incel forum for heterosexual men that is characterized by extensive misogyny. Incels argue that emerging technologies reveal and compound the gender practices that produce involuntarily celibate men. First, incels argue that women’s use of dating apps accelerates hypergamy. Second, incels suggest that highly desirable men use dating apps to partner with multiple women. Third, incels assert that subordinate men inflate women’s egos and their “sexual marketplace value” through social media platforms. We argue that incels’ focus on technology reinforces essentialist views on gender, buttresses male domination, dehumanizes women, and minimizes incels’ own misogyny. We discuss findings in relation to theories of masculinity and social scientific research on the impacts of emerging technology.
Highlights
IntroductionThe term “incel” was coined in 1997 by Alana (last name withheld), a Canadian lesbian woman who maintained a blog on her experiences with celibacy and sexuality (Taylor 2018)
Incels and the “Manosphere”The term “incel” was coined in 1997 by Alana, a Canadian lesbian woman who maintained a blog on her experiences with celibacy and sexuality (Taylor 2018)
We provide the first analysis of a popular incel forum, describing how incels identify emerging technologies as revealing and amplifying the gender practices that produce men who are involuntarily celibate
Summary
The term “incel” was coined in 1997 by Alana (last name withheld), a Canadian lesbian woman who maintained a blog on her experiences with celibacy and sexuality (Taylor 2018). Alana’s blog received awards from the LGBT community and was part of a growing number of websites addressing celibacy. In 2003, Alana became distressed by the increasing negative nature of the blog’s online discussions and shut down her website (Taylor 2018). In addition to Alana’s site, incels argue that 1990s websites on shyness and seduction were formative for the community, while more recent discussion boards on Reddit and 4Chan tied the community to misogyny (Incels.co 2020a). A community started by a woman for a general experience transitioned into one that is dominated by misogynistic heterosexual men
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