Navigating the Manosphere: An Examination of the Incel Movements’ Sexual Aggression and Attitudes of Violence against Women

• In Event: Sex Offender Narratives and Attitudes

Abstract

Feminist criminologists have long established the importance of studying sexual victimization and violence against women, however, the emergence of new technologies have created new spaces deserving of attention, namely the online coalition of chatrooms, blogs, and networking sites dedicated to issues related to men and masculinity, termed the ‘Manosphere.’ Of particular importance, and the focus of study here, is the sub-group of involuntary celibates or incels who have been increasingly linked to acts of violence, such as mass shootings, that garner national and international media attention. Promoting ideologies that are rooted in misogyny, incels utilize cyberspace as the preferred medium for advocating harassment and violence against women. Drawing from a variety of social media platforms this study analyzes the discourse and language within incel culture on online platforms to better understand and identify patterns in their attitudes toward sexual violence against women. These attitudes have the potential to frame future acts of violence against women as in the cases of Elliot Rodger and Alek Minassian, thus these attitudes are important to articulate within the mainstream body of knowledge regarding sexual violence against women.

Author

• Albina Laskovtsov, Eastern Kentucky University