“Do I have to be a virgin to be an incel?” : En netnografisk studie av ekokammare och incels kollektiva identitet

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to explore the collective identity of incels created on the incel forum incels.is from an information science perspective. This is done by studying both the cognitive information behavior of the forum members as well as the socio-cognitive information practice of the forum. Considering the incel community is online based, a netnographic approach is used. A netnographic approach relying on a non-participant observation of 86 posts made on a publicly available incel forum. Personal narratives in the posts are regarded as the cognitive information behavior of the forum members and analyzed to depict the collective identity of incels through social interactions on incels.is from the collective identity theory. By identifying the incel discussion forum as an echo chamber we explore its information practice with the theory of selective exposure. The information practice of the forum accentuates the habitualization and continuity of the values and polarization that shape the collective identity. The empirical findings show that the collective identity is based off of a polarization between in-groups and out-groups which is heavily marked by terminology and selective exclusion. The forum is a social space strictly for heterosexual males that considers their personal state of involuntary celibacy an identity that needs to be enacted socially with likeminded. The empirical findings tell that the incels believe in a societal hierarchy where they are placed at the bottom for not meeting the heteronormative ideal of beauty and therefor lack romantical and intimate experiences. The collective identity of incels on incels.is consists of evaluating common incel traits, comparing the in-group with the out-group and vent their anger towards those responsible for the men’s loneliness.