Abstract
The internet-based incel subculture has evolved over the past decade on a number of different platforms. The subculture is known to be toxic and has become associated with several high-profile cases of lethal violence. In this paper, we study the level of toxic language and its targets on three large incel forums: incels.co, lookism.net and looksmax.me. These three forums are the most well-known and active online platforms where incels meet and discuss. Our results show that even though usage of toxic language is pervasive on all three forums, they exhibit significant differences in the composition of their toxicity. These differences correspond to different groups or philosophies within the incel communites.
Highlights
Several deadly acts of violence have been carried out in recent years by individuals who define themselves as incels
While some studies have focused on investigating the level of hate and misogyny on internet forums that are a part of the greater manosphere, this paper focuses solely on digital communities for incels
“Results” we present the measurements of the toxic language levels of the incel forums, and the distribution of hate/toxic language between the targeted groups
Summary
Several deadly acts of violence have been carried out in recent years by individuals who define themselves as incels. There is no clear ideology that all incels agree upon, and there is no leader. What unites these individuals in the incel community is their lack of love and sex, and a feeling of never receiving recognition from women. These feelings and thoughts shape and fuel a community of. There are meeting places on the internet where a subculture with characteristic language, odd interests, and speculative theories has emerged among the participants. We describe some of the language and theories that are unique for the incel culture.
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