Constructing extremist identity – Analysis of the mechanisms of in-group and out-group formation in Incels.is forum

The misogynist incel (involuntary celibacy) movement has increasingly been linked to violent attacks. The male supremacist ideology has inspired several perpetrators of mass shootings in the US, Canada, Germany, and the UK. Conspiratorial thinking, hate speech, and detailed descriptions of gendered violence are popular themes for the incel movement active in online platforms such as in Reddit, 4chan, and 8chan as well as in their own Incels.is forum. In this presentation, I describe how identities of ‘us’ and ‘them’ are being constructed in Incels.is forum discussions. Recent studies on extremism acknowledge the connection between online subcultures and extremist violence. Can incel ideology be defined as an extremist ideology? Current research on extremism shows that fundamentalist views of in-group (us) and out-group (them) form the basis of extremist identities (see. i.e. Berger, 2018). Therefore, to examine incel movement in the light of extremism it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of group identity formation in online spaces. What are the mechanisms shaping in-group and out-group identities for members in incel communities? To learn how the identities of ‘us’ and ‘them’ and ultimately an extremist in-group identity are formed in Incels.is forum, a qualitative discourse analysis examining the dimensions and strategies of othering and group identity formation was conducted. The data covers a time period from November 2019 to May 2019 and includes over 200 comments attracting the most attention and replies in the forum. Preliminary findings indicate that incels’ in-group identity is based on self-victimisation constructed through; 1) narratives of social and sexual exclusion, 2) images of misogyny, and 3) conspiratorial thinking. Out-group is described in dehumanising terms and violence against the outgroup is seen inevitable and as a prerequisite for incels to succeed in modern society. The Red Pill analogy describing incels’ awakening to the supposed feminist conspiracy against men and the narratives of the Great Replacement threatening western civilisation link incels to other alt-right online communities.