“Help me please, I need practical advice”: A qualitative exploration of social support dynamics among incels on online forums

The incel population comprises men experiencing involuntary celibacy who mingle based on their challenges in establishing romantic connections. Despite the current issues plaguing incel forums (e.g., violent content), they were originally conceived as platforms for social support to alleviate loneliness among sexually inexperienced individuals. However, documentation of support types within these forums is limited. The aim of this study was to document the exchange of social support within incel forums, utilizing Braithwaite et al.’s (1999) adaptation of Cutrona and Suhr’s (1992) social support typology (informational, emotional, esteem, network, tangible support) to analyze the forms of support exchanged within incels forums. Thematic analyses of 37 threads from r/IncelExit (i.e., users seeking to leave inceldom) and Incels.is (i.e., users deeply entrenched in inceldom) reveal a prevalence of informational support, followed by emotional support. These findings align with existing literature positing that informational support is the prevailing type in online interactions on forums between strangers, where anonymity also facilitates the intimate exchanges characteristic of emotional support. Notable distinctions emerge between the two forums: r/IncelExit favoured informational support (prioritized when the problem is perceived as controllable) to suggest concrete actions to resolve the problem, while Incels.is emphasized emotional support (prioritized when the problem is perceived as uncontrollable) to show empathy and understanding of the situation. Our findings also reveal that antisocial support (i.e., encouraging self-destructive behaviours instead of providing genuine support) was sometimes present, especially on Incels.is. This study provides an initial exploration of support dynamics in incels forums, with implications for interventions.