Although incels represent a relatively small segment of the online manosphere, a significant number of them seem to adhere to the Blackpill ideology, according to researcher Beckett-Herbert. This nihilistic perspective often influences their engagement with what they refer to as “Soyciety,” including aspects such as education and employment. Consequently, individuals who embody this disengagement are frequently classified as NEET—an acronym for Not in Education, Employment, or Training.
“We aren’t seeing vast numbers of young men diving into this ideology,” Beckett-Herbert noted. “While their beliefs are quite fringe, the community is expanding, and the ideology is becoming more widespread. Initially, the focus was limited to romantic relationships and sexual encounters, but now there is an observable trend toward broader disconnection from society. This development is concerning for all of us.”
The increase in NEET individuals is also intertwined with larger cultural discussions about the challenges faced by boys and young men today. Historical analyses have predominantly scrutinized the misogynistic language and violent tendencies among incels, yet Beckett-Herbert points out that examining unemployment offers insight into more extensive societal issues. “It’s crucial to understand that addressing the struggles of young men does not diminish our support for the welfare of women and girls. The two can coexist,” she emphasized.
“Lie down and rot”
In their investigation, Beckett-Herbert and her co-author, sociologist Eran Shor from McGill University, selected the incels.is website for data collection due to its open access and substantial user base, which features nearly 20,000 members. They utilized Python code to scrape approximately 100 pages, leading to the extraction of around 10,000 discussion threads from October to December 2022. A preliminary analysis highlighted ten recurring keywords in the threads: “study,” “school,” “NEET,” “job,” “work,” “money,” “career,” “wage,” “employ,” and “rot.” Beckett-Herbert remarked, “The phrase ‘lie down and rot’ is particularly common among the discussions.”
