A recent study published in The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality documented the exchange of social support within incel forums.
Incel forums, online spaces for men experiencing involuntary celibacy, are often examined through the lens of misogyny and radicalization. However, these forums also function as sources of social support, where members seek advice, validation, and emotional reassurance.
This study explores how support is exchanged within two distinct incel communities: r/IncelExit, where users aim to leave the incelosphere, and Incels.is, a forum for those who remain embedded in incel ideology.
Researchers Sabrina Leite-Mendonca and Marie-Aude Boislard analyzed 37 discussion threads, 29 from r/IncelExit and 8 from Incels.is, collected over one month (August-September 2022). Threads were included if they contained requests or exchanges of social support. Using a mixed thematic analysis approach, they categorized the content based on five types of social support: informational, emotional, esteem, network, and tangible. The data were independently coded by two researchers, with discrepancies resolved through discussion. The analysis also considered the presence of antisocial support, defined as exchanges encouraging self-destructive behaviors.
The findings revealed notable differences in the types of social support exchanged on the two forums, reflecting their distinct cultures and user objectives.
On r/IncelExit, informational support was the most prevalent, accounting for 74.7% of interactions. Users frequently provided advice, shared knowledge, and reframed situations to offer actionable solutions. This emphasis aligns with the forum’s overarching goal of helping members transition out of inceldom. Emotional support, while less common (17.6%), included expressions of empathy and encouragement. Esteem support, such as validation and reassurance, was observed in 5.6% of cases, while instances of network and tangible support were rare. Antisocial support, where users provided unhelpful or harmful responses, was minimal, comprising only 0.4% of interactions.
In contrast, Incels.is was dominated by emotional support, which accounted for 55.8% of the interactions. Here, expressions of empathy and shared frustration were common, but these exchanges often reinforced feelings of victimization and hopelessness. Informational support constituted 32.7% of the interactions, though the advice given often reflected the forum’s ideologies. Notably, antisocial support was significantly more prevalent on Incels.is, comprising 11.5% of interactions. Examples included users encouraging self-destructive behaviors or trivializing others’ emotional struggles. There was no evidence of esteem, network, or tangible support on Incels.is.
Together, these findings underscore the contrasting roles of these forums, with r/IncelExit providing a more supportive and solution-oriented space, while Incels.is amplifies and perpetuates negative sentiments.
This study focused only on r/IncelExit and Incels.is, excluding other incel and femcel forums, which limits the generalizability of the findings.
The study, “Help me please, I need practical advice: A qualitative exploration of social support dynamics among incels on online forums,” was authored by Sabrina Leite-Mendonca and Marie-Aude Boislard.