The Manosphere and Incel culture – What are the effects on violence against women and girls and what can be done?
I cannot start this blog without acknowledging what was my very limited insight and understanding of the terms ‘Manosphere’ and ‘Incel,’ until like many, (many others!), I watched the Netflix drama ‘Adolescence.’ This sparked an interest within me to do a deeper dive into the subject and learn a bit more about the research, findings and general conversations taking place around the subject, with my ever-present focus on how it might be impacting and influencing violence against women and girls. I must also acknowledge that this a vast and very complex topic. This is certainly not the whole picture, but more so some of my ponderings and insights, which I hope may be of some interest to you.
So, what are ‘Incels’ and the ‘Manosphere’ and what do we know about it?
In February 2024, The Commission for Countering Extremism commissioned Swansea University to produce the largest survey of Incels in the UK and US to date. Incel is an abbreviation of ‘Involuntary celibacy’ and is defined as a group of men who have forged a community around their perceived belief that they are unable to develop sexual or romantic relationships. Contributors have acknowledged that this may be due to the growing influence of feminism worldwide and the evolving sense of female power and hierarchy that has developed as a result. This is along with real-life challenges experienced by men, including the high level of poor mental health, worklessness and financial instability, (particularly in the US).
This Incel online subculture, is a part of a wider online environment known as the ‘Manosphere’. This is the vast and ever-growing online space where young and adult men hang out. It ranges from a space in which men can engage in positive interest or self-help groups, to more harmful Incel groups, in which misogyny and hate speech against women thrive.
Key findings of the recent research conducted by Swansea University into Incels included:
Taking a mental health (rather than an extremist/terrorist) view point in the understanding of Incel’s is necessary. “Incels typically displayed extremely poor mental health, with high incidences of depression and suicidal thoughts. They are also more likely to be neurodivergent, with a higher likelihood of diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder.”
Participants acknowledged a shared world view in which feminists were often identified as a primary enemy. With high levels of victimhood, anger, and misogyny.
There is a small cohort of incels (5%) who agree that violence to defend their community and beliefs, against those they perceived to be causing them harm was justified.
(Reference to the full report can be found below).
How does misogyny thrive online and what is the impact?
Perhaps in contrast to ‘normal’ social engagement, the online space provides individuals the ability to be anonymous and hide behind the screen in-front of them. Let’s imagine, a group of young men are talking (in the ‘real world’) about something they are watching online and someone makes a misogynistic or harmful comment about the content. It is more likely that a member of the group will step in and acknowledge that the comment was wrong, for example “how would you like it if I said something like that about your sister or your mum?” The bad behaviour is called out and often questioned more in ‘real-life’ circumstances. This is in contrast to online environments where a more ‘bystander’ approach is more likely to be taken and in doing so, harmful viewpoints are more likely to go unchecked, often growing as a result.
Within this, we must also acknowledge the role that online pornography plays in developing and shaping young people’s views around bodies, sexual behaviour, pleasure, and consent. We are living in a world where children’s first exposure to digital porn is around the age of 11 years old. This often comes about through accidental viewing, rather than intentional searches and lives within the Manosphere. And this is not your standard ‘dirty magazine’ porn. Research has shown that pornography is becoming increasingly more graphic and violent towards women, often depicting coercive and blurred messages surrounding consent. It is essentially normalising sexual violence against women and girls and in doing so, potentially teaching children, young people and adults about harmful sexual behaviour and relationships.
What can be done?
I can’t help thinking about the PSHE lessons which I had when I was at school and the very limited impact I recall them making on my life as a young person. I’m sure that there were discussions about sex and relationships, but my memory of them is hazy and they certainly weren’t ground-breaking. In looking more into contributors’ views around what can be done, much of the narrative surrounds the influence that schools can play in shaping and educating children and young people about online harm. Organisations such as Everyone’s Invited in the UK, believe that education is essential in both primary and secondary schools, with an aim to empower school communities to promote healthy relationships, sexual well-being and tackling rape culture. They comment, “We present the facts and encourage pupils to think critically about the world around them.”
To some extent, the cat is out of the bag! Children, young people and adults are exposed to online material that is harmful and has the potential to increase the likelihood of violence against women and girls, unless open and very honest conversations are taking place not only in our school, but also at home. This means having potentially uncomfortable and dare I say it, embarrassing conversations about sex. We cannot pass over responsibility to the internet to raise our children and young people, knowing that despite there being areas of the Manosphere that are positive, there are also hugely damaging and harmful spaces, in which misogyny and a culture of hate towards women lives. We must instead play an active role in raising our children and young people with care and concern. Presenting them with conversations and scenarios in which they can be challenged, alternative perspectives can be offered and critical thinking can be encouraged. In doing so, we encourage children and young people to be active upstanders, seeing through the trash that they encounter online and ultimately seeing it for what it is.
As a counsellor I specialise in supporting women who have experienced sexual violence and abuse. I have an interest in the systems that drive and maintain violence against women in our community and hope to be a voice in its prevention and in supporting individuals who have experienced abuse. If you are interested in exploring your experiences and starting your counselling journey, please contact me for a free 15-minute introductory call.
Within this blog, I have referenced research done by the University of Swansea and their report ‘Predicting harm among incels (involuntary celibates)’, published February 2024.
I have also found the below webpages and podcasts incredibly interesting and would really encourage a listen/look -
· The Sexual violence Research podcast – How online pornography is fuelling sexual violence among young people.
· The Sexual violence Research podcast – Masculinity, Misogyny and the Manosphere – A conversation with Gary Barker.