Toxic language based echo chambers on the Incels.net community: A network analysis approach

This study examines interaction patterns on the web forum Incels.net through Social Network Analysis, focusing on the formation of echo chambers characterized by toxic language. We explore several hypotheses: (H2) users tend to engage in animated one-to-one interactions by quoting each other; (H4) frequent posters are less likely to be quoted by less active users, indicating a lack of clear leadership; and (H5) users sharing the same sentiment are more likely to participate in large discussions (echo chambers) but do not engage in one-to-one conversations. Our findings enhance the understanding of behaviors that may contribute to radicalization within fringe online communities and offer insights for future research into similar extreme hate forums.