Latest news with #incel
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Over 500 ‘incels' completed a survey. This is what researchers learned
A study that looked at more than 500 members of the 'incel' community suggests they are a diverse group that often struggles with mental health issues. 'Incels are often stereotyped in the media as young, white, right-wing men who are not in employment, education, or training,' lead author Andrew G. Thomas, a senior psychology lecturer at Swansea University in the U.K., said in a news release. 'When we tested the accuracy of these stereotypes using primary data collection, we discovered misconceptions.' In what they claim to be the largest incel community survey to date, the study showed that participants came from different backgrounds and had varied political beliefs. 'If we had to point to their most consistent characteristics, it would be incredibly poor mental health and their feelings of bitterness, frustration, and distain towards women – though even these show variation within the sample,' Thomas said. 'An extremely hard to reach group' Led by researchers from Swansea University and the University of Texas at Austin, and published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behaviour, the study is based on an online questionnaire completed by 561 members of 'the internet's largest incel forum.' Incel is short for involuntary celibacy, and the controversial online subculture of men is united by their perceived inability to form romantic or sexual relationships. 'The community is an outlet for misogynistic hostility, and incels' ideology includes the belief that most women are attracted to a small number of men, who monopolize sexual encounters with women,' the study explained. 'Central to the incel belief system is the 'black-pill' philosophy that there is nothing they can do to improve their romantic prospects.' A small, but growing number of violent attacks have also been attributed to self-described incels, including the 2018 Toronto van attack that killed 11 people. 'The community has been labeled as an emerging domestic terrorism concern by counterterrorism authorities in Canada, the U.S.A., and the U.K.,' the study noted. 'Incels are considered an extremely hard to reach group who are cynical of the motives of academic researchers.' 'Extraordinarily high rates of suicidal ideation' In terms of mental health, the researchers found that 37 per cent of participants reported daily suicidal thoughts, 48 per cent reported high levels of loneliness and 86 per cent reported experiencing bullying. Thirty per cent of participants also met the criteria for an autism assessment, compared with one per cent of the general population. 'The extraordinarily high rates of suicidal ideation in our sample were among the most alarming findings and demand urgent attention,' study co-author William Costello, a researcher in psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, said. 'Likewise, the prevalence of autism traits was much higher than in the general population, pointing to the need for greater clinical attention to neurodiversity within this group.' When it came to ethnic diversity, political orientation, socioeconomic background, employment, education and age, the participants were a varied group. Just over half the respondents were white at 58 per cent while 42 per cent identified as people of colour. Many identified as middle class at 40.6 per cent, followed by lower-middle class at 27.1 per cent; 42.4 per cent were employed full-time and 16.4 per cent were in full-time education. The average age of participants was 26 and the oldest was 73. In terms of political orientation, on average, incels were slightly left of centre. 'Incels with right-wing leanings may be more predisposed to harmful attitudes and beliefs than those leaning left, as right-wing radical acts are generally more violent,' the study warned. The study was conducted in collaboration with the U.K. government's Commission for Countering Extremism. Anonymous participants came from the U.K. and U.S. and were paid UK£20 or C$37 for their responses. 'Our study is one of the first that takes a deep dive into a large sample of incels,' co-author Joe Whittaker, a senior criminology lecturer at Swansea University, said. 'Our findings will help to inform policy and practice within the sphere of counter-extremism and help stakeholders to develop effective and appropriate responses.' If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources that are available: Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline ( 1-833-456-4566 ) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health ( 1 800 463-2338 ) Crisis Services Canada ( 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645) Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) If you need immediate assistance, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.
The Verge
02-06-2025
- Health
- The Verge
Molly White noted the existence of a chatbot called 'Looksmaxxing GPT.
ChatGPT has fun new incel problems. Over the weekend, ' It told one user he was 'subhuman' and began recommending surgeries. Body dysmorphia has been on the rise among men and boys, and a chatbot featured on ChatGPT's front page that makes things worse seems like a bad idea. White reported it, but OpenAI thinks this chatbot is fine.
BreakingNews.ie
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Television awards host Joel Dommett hoping Adolescence ‘wins big' as longlist revealed
Netflix hit Adolescence has made it on to the National Television Awards (NTAs) longlist and host Joel Dommett is hoping the drama 'wins big'. The four-part series, which examines so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture, has prompted a national conversation about online safety. Advertisement The programme features This Is England star Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller – the father of 13-year-old Jamie played by newcomer Owen Cooper – who sees armed police burst into his home to arrest his son. Christine Tremarco, Faye Marsay, Jo Hartley, Amelie Pease, Owen Cooper, Ashley Walters, Robbie O'Neill, Hannah Walters and Stephen Graham arriving for the special screening of Adolescence in central London (Ian West/PA) Both actors are longlisted in the drama performance category alongside Erin Doherty, who plays a child psychologist, and the programme itself features in the new drama category. Dommett, 39, told the PA news agency: 'It's another one of those sort of game-changer shows, isn't it really? In a similar way to Baby Reindeer, in a similar way to Mr Bates Vs The Post Office. 'One of those shows that really sort of stretches wide and everyone notices and everyone talks about it. It was one of those strange ones, really, where I was scared to watch it, I think, because, also I've got a young boy, but it felt important to watch, and I think that was what everyone felt. Advertisement 'And as soon as I did (watch it), I was like, this is just not only important, but unbelievably moving and incredibly shot. 'Every now and again a series comes along where it feels like it moves television forward. And it felt like it was one of those shows where you were like, 'Oh my god, this is so, like, arresting to watch and so incredibly written and so incredibly acted.' 'Just felt like all of the pieces of the puzzle were perfect. So I hope it wins big, I'm sure it will. They deserve to be lauded.' Joel Dommett will host the NTAs (Ian West/PA) At the end of March, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met the series creators, charities and young people to discuss the issues raised in the series during a meeting focused on rethinking adolescent safety. Advertisement The drama took months of preparation and rehearsals so that each episode could be filmed in one continuous shot, which was praised by viewers of the show. Discussing Cooper's performance, Dommett told PA: 'I mean it was just one of those performances that you're like, 'Oh my god, this person. I hope he acts for the rest of his life.' This is like his first job. 'But what an amazing thing to be able to do. It's insane that performance… But yeah, I really hope he makes the short list. 'I really hope he gets, again, awarded for it, because he's brilliant, but it's so mad the fact that he could be against his dad in it, Stephen Graham.' Advertisement Among the other shows up for multiple awards is Disney+ drama Rivals, based on Dame Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name, which is longlisted for new drama, with a performance nod for Danny Dyer and David Tennant. Gary Lineker, who recently issued an apology for a social media video he shared which led to his early exit from the BBC, is among those who feature on the TV presenter longlist. It was revealed on Monday that after this weekend's Match Of The Day, Lineker, 64, will leave his presenting role at the BBC and will no longer front the corporation's coverage of the 2026 World Cup or the FA Cup next season. Gary Lineker is longlisted in the TV presenter category (Ben Whitley/PA) He is longlisted alongside presenting duo Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly who won the prize for a historic 23rd year in a row in 2024. Advertisement This year's ceremony, which will see Dommett undertake hosting duties for the fifth time, marks the NTA's 30th anniversary. Dommett said: 'I'm really excited for it to be the 30th year. I think it's going to give it a really good vibe to it that I think we've never had before. 'I say this every year, but we're going to try and make it bigger and better than ever, and try and put our own little spin on it and do something a little bit different.' The NTA shortlist will be revealed in August when the final round of voting begins. Winners will be announced at the ceremony on ITV1 and ITVX on September 10th, 2025.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Telegraph
Incel extremism doubles online amid Adolescence backlash
Incel extremism groups online have nearly doubled their membership amid a backlash against the Netflix hit show Adolescence. The largest active online incel platform has increased in size to 30,000 members from 17,000 in September 2022, according to research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The platform received a peak of more than 2.7 million visits in the first quarter of this year, with posts reflecting the misogynistic, racist and anti-Semitic tendencies of participants. The forum is the online home for thousands of involuntary celibates or incels, who often express hostility to women and wider society, blaming them for their lack of sexual and romantic experiences. In an analysis by the CCDH of more than 650 posts from the forum's discussion threads, researchers found that one in four contained misogynist hate, racism or anti-Semitic conspiracies. A majority of posts expressed disapproval of the Netflix series, with forum members claiming the show's central character was too attractive to be an incel, or that the show's writers had failed to distinguish the subculture from misogynist influencers such as Andrew Tate. Adolescence became Netflix's third most-watched English language show in its history. It follows a teenager who delves into online misogynist communities before murdering a female classmate. In its research, CCDH found that forum members posted about rape every 29 minutes, while 16 per cent of posts contained a misogynistic slur. Researchers also noted that the volume of posts on the forum had grown over time to reach a daily average of 2,340 posts. Imran Ahmed, CCDH's chief executive, warned that Incel ideology on the internet had grown and was not restricted to the dark web. 'The misogyny and extremism we saw three years ago have not only intensified, they've multiplied,' he said. 'Incel communities, where young men and boys are encouraged to hate and hurt women, are not hidden in the deepest recesses of the dark web – these communities of tens of thousands of men are operating in front of our children's eyes, accessible in the browsers of their cell phones. 'I encourage parents and schools to have deeper conversations with their children that span beyond the fictional show of Adolescence and into the reality of radicalisation facing young boys. 'This is an immediate crisis that demands more research and urgent action from policymakers, tech companies, and parents.'
News24
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Adolescence has sparked fears over teen slang – but emoji don't cause radicalisation
Getty The TV series Adolescence explores incel culture and male violence, highlighting concerns over the online radicalization of teens through platforms, language, and emoji use. While some worry about decoding 'sinister' emoji meanings, experts stress that sensationalizing youth language diverts attention from the real dangers of misogynistic communities. Open intergenerational dialogue, rather than fear or bans on slang and emoji, is key to addressing radicalization and bridging social gaps. Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham's crime drama Adolescence has earned widespread praise for its portrayal of incel culture and male violence. But the show's portrayal of 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper) being radicalised by misogynistic online content has a lot of parents concerned about their own kids and how they talk online. For many, this concern is amplified by the fear that, just like the adults in Adolescence, parents are often ignorant of the online language kids use to spread dangerous beliefs. Journalists have produced a flurry of articles that promise to decode the ' hidden meaning ' of teen language by focusing on emoji featured on the show. One headline references supposedly 'sinister emojis used by incel teenagers'. Such concerns reflect a long history of moral panic around youth language. But defining or banning emoji won't solve the deeper issues at play. Emoji in Adolescence Adolescence follows Jamie and his family after the teenager is accused of murdering his classmate, Katie. The second episode shows Adam (Amari Bacchus), the teenage son of detective inspector Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters), correcting his father's misunderstanding of a series of emoji Katie posted on Jaime's Instagram profile. While Bascome assumes the 💯 and 💥 emoji are flirtatious, Adam explains that, in this context, they are connected to the online 'manosphere'. Bascome is initially resistant to this explanation, but Adam convinces him by citing examples of different meanings associated with different coloured heart emoji; red is specifically used for 'love', while orange means 'you're going to be fine'. He stresses 'it all has a meaning'. This scene highlights key generational divides in the perception and use of emoji. For Adam and Jamie's parents' generation, emoji are largely treated as decorative. For teenagers, they can carry important meanings. Are the kids actually alright? It's important to remember this isn't the first time we've seen concerns about generational communication differences reflecting larger social rifts. There are numerous examples in the media linking slang with issues of education, moral decline and even crime. READ | Crime, psychology, and gender norms – Why Adolescence is more than just entertainment These a ttitudes have sparked debate over whether Australian schools should ban gen alpha and gen Z slang from classrooms. While the frustration of parents and teachers is understandable, linguistic research shows aggressively negative attitudes towards teen language demotivate young people, exacerbate inequality and unnecessarily stoke intergenerational tension. Emoji are highly context dependent. Much like gestures that are used with speech, we need to understand emoji in the specific conversations and communities they are used in. There is no consistent relationship between emoji use and inner emotional state that can be generalised across groups of teens or other emoji users. Instead of fearing or banning emoji, we can try and understand how and why they are used in various contexts. And there are plenty of online resources to help with this. EmojiPedia, for example, describes the pill emoji 💊 as potentially referencing medicine, drugs, or an awakening to a controversial perspective (the ' red pill ' beliefs referenced in Adolecensce). Emoji are intentionally flexible and intended to be used creatively. In fact, Unicode, the organisation that assesses proposals for new emoji, requires that items encoded as emoji are able to hold multiple meanings. Research has also shown different people react to emoji differently. One survey from 2018 found older men were most likely to view emoji as confusing and annoying, while young women were most likely to view emoji positively in communication. Times change, and stay the same Intergenerational differences, and the tensions they evoke, are nothing new. Back in the 2000s, parents and teachers voiced concerns that 'netspeak', with its creative punctuation and capitalisation, would diminish young people's grasp of 'proper' English. This did not come to pass. Does this mean parents have nothing to worry about when it comes to their kids communicating online? Of course not. Online misogynistic movements and red pill communities can bring great harm to vulnerable young people. Their growing popularity is something we all have to reckon with – but online language is not to blame. Parents can't realistically prevent the radicalisation of young men by simply referencing an emoji dictionary, nor can teachers stamp out the spread of misogyny by banning emoji and slang in classrooms. Instead, as one scene between Adam and his dad shows, we need to collectively shift our focus towards facilitating open conversations between generations. leave young people vulnerable to becoming radicalised.
