Incel Culture and Media

There is a growing amount of concern regarding young men and their identification as involuntary celibates, or, incels. 

The Anti-Defamation League, a non-governmental organization dedicated to anti-hate,  now runs an online source on Incels, listing their updated attacks in addition to the history of the ideology. According to the text: 

• “Incels are heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic success”
• “A subset of the online misogynist manosphere that includes Pick Up Artists and Men’s Rights Activists, incels are known for their deep-seated pessimism and profound sense of grievance against women”
• “The incel ideology is rooted in the belief that women have too much power in the sexual/romantic sphere and ruin incels’ lives by rejecting them”
• “Incels are the most violent sector of the manosphere, and have perpetrated a range of deadly attacks against women”

In another publication of the Anti-Defamation League, titled When Women are the Enemy: The Intersection of Mysogyny and White Supremacy,  “Incels, MRAs [men’s rights activists], and white supremacists all share a sense of entitlement – their online comments reflect a belief they are owed jobs, racial/socioeconomic status and/or sex, simply because they exist. Based on their message board exchanges, they don’t appear to spend much or any time considering the humanity of the people on the other side of the equation – the better-qualified minority candidate, the more entrepreneurial immigrant, or the woman who’s just not interested.”  

In other words, incels, men’s rights activists, and white supremacists exist on the same plane due to their belief that they are inherently deserving of the things they want.

 Moreover, these hate groups seamlessly intersect in the digital age – Reddit, Facebook, and 4chan serve as online meeting places for many incels and adjacent groups.

 Behind the anonymity of the internet, incels debate ways to incite violence against women. 

The Center for Countering Digital Hate estimates that every 29 minutes, there is a discussion of rape on these forms in their 2022 publication The Incelosphere. Within the same study, 89% of posters are in support of committing sexual abuse. 

What entities propagate these ideas? 

As reflected in my article from last week “The Male Fantasy: 500 Days of Summer”, TV and film have dealings with the kind of female representation we see on the screen. In turn, this associate’s young men with the idea that valuable women act- and oftentimes look- a certain way. 

Furthermore, it is instilled that valuable women cater to their men. When this narrative is broken, so are the egos of the men that were told this was a fact. 

TV and film are not the only societal structures at fault. On the contrary, TV and film can be great sources of representation for women. 

For example, 500 Days of Summer contextualizes and humanizes the manic pixie dream girl. Summer is broken down in front of the audience as just a woman who is trying to live her life. Ultimately, Tom is responsible for his heartache. From this, he grows. 

Today’s influencers hold a great amount of power in the relationship society has with women. 

Anti-feminist internet celebrities Andrew Tate, Ben Shapiro, Alex Jones, and Nick Fuentes are notable names within the incel world. They amass young men (and some young women) into their ideologies via algorithms and personalized advertising.

Far-right American conservatism is another facet of the rise of incels. Out of the four influencers listed above, Ben Shapiro and Nick Fuentes are categorized as political commentators on Wikipedia.

All in all, media, including TV and film, play a small, but significant role in broadcasting stereotypes that perpetuate unrealistic romantic fantasies in males.

 Despite this, other factors like incels, anti-feminist influencers, and far-right conservatism appear to have a greater weight in this issue. 

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