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The emergence of digital communication platforms has transformed how subcultures form, interact, and persist. Online environments allow individuals with shared experiences and frustrations to connect across geographical boundaries, contributing to the formation of communities centered around particular interpretations of the social world. One example of such an online subculture is the incel community.

The term “incel,” short for “involuntary celibate,” is primarily used by individuals who describe themselves as unable to establish romantic or sexual relationships. Within online incel communities, discussions frequently revolve around rejection, loneliness, appearance, and social exclusion. These experiences are interpreted through shared narratives concerning gender, attraction, and social hierarchy. Concepts such as the “80/20 rule,” “Chads,” and “Stacys” function as interpretive frameworks through which members explain why some individuals are perceived as successful in relationships while others are not.

In recent years, incel communities have received increasing public and academic attention, particularly following several violent attacks linked to self-identified incels. However, reducing these communities solely to violence risks overlooking the broader social processes through which they operate. Drawing on research from an MA thesis in Criminology at the University of Iceland, this post examines how shared narratives and online interaction contribute to the construction and reinforcement of meaning within online incel communities.

The research is based on a qualitative netnographic approach using data collected from platforms such as Reddit and Incels.Is. A recurring finding was that discussions often begin with highly personal experiences of rejection and confusion. Through interaction with others, however, these experiences gradually become reframed as collective and structural problems rather than individual circumstances. Shared narratives provide members with explanations for their experiences and connect personal frustrations to broader interpretations of social reality.

To understand these dynamics, the study draws on narrative criminology, differential association theory, and Noortje Marres’ concept of issue publics. Together, these perspectives help explain how narratives are shared, learned, and reinforced through interaction. Incel communities can therefore be understood as groups formed around shared concerns of romantic and sexual rejection, loneliness, and perceived social exclusion. The study further highlights how digitally mediated environments may intensify these processes by increasing exposure to repeated narratives, shared grievances, and collective interpretations of social reality.

Importantly, the findings show that online incel communities are not static or homogeneous spaces. Alongside misogynistic and hostile narratives, many users also express emotional distress, vulnerability, depression, and a desire for connection and acceptance. At the same time, the normalization of resentment, hostility, and grievance-based interpretations within some online spaces may contribute to broader societal risks, including the potential normalization of harmful or criminal behavior. Studying these environments from a criminological perspective therefore contributes to broader discussions surrounding online subcultures, social learning, and digital environments, particularly as online platforms increasingly shape social interaction and collective meaning-making.

About the author

Sabrina Skjold holds an MA in criminology from the University of Iceland and a BA in techno-anthropology from Aalborg University. Her research focuses on online subcultures, digital ethnography, and criminological perspectives on social interaction in digitally mediated environments.

Sabrina Skjold      Tel: +45 28 96 64 96     Email:  sabrinaskjold@hotmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-skjold-779842101/