‘Incels are shit-post kings’: incels’ perceptions of online forum content

Figures & data

Table 1. Participants (in the order in which they first appear).

Name	Age^11	Not just us	For attention	Truth/ emotion	Just a joke	Annoying	Not us posting
Mark	28				*
Simon	23			*	*
Literally	22	*	*	*	*	*	*
JamesFT^12	31	*		*	*
K	27	*	*			*
Frail	29	*		*	*	*	*
Steven	21	*		*		*	*
Alexander Ash	-		*		*
Matt	23	*	*	*	*	*
Ignas	20			*	*
Nick	-				*	*	*
FaceandLMS^13	-			*	*
Decline	27				*
John	-					*
Average age^14 = 25.1		6 (42.9%)	4 (28.6%)	8 (57.1%)	11 (78.6%)	7 (50.0%)	4 (28.6%)

Table 2. Descriptions of Themes.

Theme	Definition	Prototypical Example
It’s not just us and not all of us	Shit-posting is also common among non-incels, and only a small percentage of the incel population engages in this behavior	‘Saying horrible things … on the internet is something people like doing. Even non-incels do it, too.’ (Steven)
It’s for attention	Shit-posting garners likes, responses, and shares	‘I can go on there and say something outrageous … and get a tonne of attention.’ (Literally)
An element of truth and emotion	Shit-posting may reflect a modicum of truth or the poster’s true emotions	‘I would take it with a large grain of salt, however there is some truth to a lot of the extreme things being said.’ (JamesFT)
It’s just a joke, and not that bad	Shit-posting is a form of humor or not necessarily intended to be serious	‘Most of it is not serious; most of it’s joking around … that’s part of the humor that people use.’ (Nick)
It’s annoying and harmful	Shit-posting is not amusing and negatively affects all incels	‘It’s just things repeating themselves.’ (K)
It’s not even us posting	Shit-posts are often posted by non-incels to embarrass or tarnish incel groups or by people who are not legitimate incels	‘A lot of people on Reddit are just “normies” who larp [live action role play] as incels for run, are deluded, or just trying to false flag.’ (Frail)