Identity Construction in a Misogynist Incels Forum

TL;DR

This study analyzes how identity groups are discussed in a prominent incels forum, revealing novel identity terms and an essentialist ideology that influences misogynist hate speech, with implications for detection methods.

Contribution

It introduces a quantitative analysis of identity discourse in incels forums, highlighting the emergence of new identity terms and underlying ideological patterns.

Findings

Novel identity terms are prevalent in the community.

Mentions of minoritized identities are increasing.

Essentialist beliefs link physical appearance and hierarchies to human value.

Abstract

Online communities of involuntary celibates (incels) are a prominent source of misogynist hate speech. In this paper, we use quantitative text and network analysis approaches to examine how identity groups are discussed on incels-dot-is, the largest black-pilled incels forum. We find that this community produces a wide range of novel identity terms and, while terms for women are most common, mentions of other minoritized identities are increasing. An analysis of the associations made with identity groups suggests an essentialist ideology where physical appearance, as well as gender and racial hierarchies, determine human value. We discuss implications for research into automated misogynist hate speech detection.