Abstract
Incels (involuntary celibates), a subgroup of the so
called ‘manosphere,’ have become an increasing security
concern for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners
following their association with several violent attacks.
Once mostly contained on niche men’s forums, redpilled
and blackpilled communities and theories are gaining
prominence on mainstream social media platforms.
However, whilst previous research considerably
enhanced our understanding of the incel phenomenon
and their presence on Reddit and secluded incel forums,
incel’s presence on mainstream social media platforms is
understudied and their presence on TikTok is yet to be
addressed. The present paper examines the incel
subculture on TikTok, through an analysis of incel
accounts, videos and their respective comments, to
understand the role mainstream social media platforms
play in the ‘normiefication’ and normalisation of incel
ideology and discourse. The findings suggest that on
TikTok the expression of incel ideology takes a covert
form, employing emotional appeals and pseudo-science
to disseminate common incelosphere tropes. Further, we
demonstrate how the process of mainstreaming incel
beliefs is facilitated by their interconnectedness with
wider sexism and structural misogyny. The harms
generating from this association are conducive to the
normalisation of blackpill beliefs and the reinforcement
of misogyny, sexism and justification of rape culture.
Incels (involuntary celibates), a subgroup of the so
called ‘manosphere,’ have become an increasing security
concern for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners
following their association with several violent attacks.
Once mostly contained on niche men’s forums, redpilled
and blackpilled communities and theories are gaining
prominence on mainstream social media platforms.
However, whilst previous research considerably
enhanced our understanding of the incel phenomenon
and their presence on Reddit and secluded incel forums,
incel’s presence on mainstream social media platforms is
understudied and their presence on TikTok is yet to be
addressed. The present paper examines the incel
subculture on TikTok, through an analysis of incel
accounts, videos and their respective comments, to
understand the role mainstream social media platforms
play in the ‘normiefication’ and normalisation of incel
ideology and discourse. The findings suggest that on
TikTok the expression of incel ideology takes a covert
form, employing emotional appeals and pseudo-science
to disseminate common incelosphere tropes. Further, we
demonstrate how the process of mainstreaming incel
beliefs is facilitated by their interconnectedness with
wider sexism and structural misogyny. The harms
generating from this association are conducive to the
normalisation of blackpill beliefs and the reinforcement
of misogyny, sexism and justification of rape culture.
