What is Incel and the Manosphere? Netflix's 'Adolescence' Exposes the Dangerous Online Culture

In the recently released Netflix series, 'Adolescence', the audience sees the story of a family in the UK struggling with wrapping their head around the fact that their 13-year-old boy is a key suspect to the stabbing of a fellow female schoolmate to death. As the show progresses, it is revealed that James Miller, played by first-time actor Owen Cooper, was exposed to incel culture, the digital 'manosphere' and the formidable logic of online misogynists.

The four-part show, with every episode filmed in one-take style, 'Adolescence', exposes social media's grim and dark side, especially one consumed by the younger generation. But what is the so-called 'manosphere' and its most extreme subculture, 'incels,'? Here is everything you need to know about the growing online community.

What is the Manosphere?

The 'manosphere' is a term used to describe a collection of online communities where men gather to discuss issues surrounding masculinity, relationships, and gender. But what sounds like an online support group for boys and men who are struggling with identity is the exact opposite. These spaces, in the form of blogs, websites and online forums, often veer into misogynistic rhetoric, promoting harmful ideas that perpetuate inequality and reinforce traditional gender roles.

Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist who was also mentioned in the show, is often referred to as the king of this community. Not just Tate, the manosphere is home to various influencers and content creators, many of whom share extreme, anti-feminist views.

According to experts, these online communities encourage young men to adopt a very narrow and aggressive form of masculinity. In these spaces, influencers use language and symbolism to recruit followers. For example, the red pill from the film The Matrix represents the 'awakening' from what they see as the illusions of conventional gender beliefs.

Understanding Incel Culture

In the second episode of the Netflix show, the investigating police officers visit the school where Jamie and Katie used to go. They find out that the 13-year-old and, in fact, many young schoolchildren are exposed to this 'manosphere' space. When DI Luke Bascombe, played by Ashley Walters, conducts an inspection with the schoolchildren, his own son reveals to him that he was misinterpreting a series of emojis left by Katie on Jamie's Instagram profile.

What DI Bascome believed were flirtatious comments actually have a much darker meaning. Adam, DI Bascome's son and a school student, went on to explain what every emoji meant, such as 'red pill'. The red pill is like, 'I see the truth. 'It's a call to action by the manosphere,' Adam says to his father. Another major thing Adam reveals is the meaning behind the 80/20 rule and its connection to the '100' emoji.

He says: '80 per cent of women are attracted to 20 per cent of men. Women, you must trick them because you'll never get them in a normal way. 80 per cent of women are cut off, she's saying he's an incel.'

Now, the 'incel', which stands for involuntary celibate, is the most dangerous offshoot of the manosphere. According to experts, incels are men who are unable to form sexual or romantic relationships with women, and they often place the blame for their frustration on women themselves.

According to a 2022 study published in the Current Psychiatry Reports journal, incels are not a fan of feminism. The study says, 'As it was feminism that promoted and encouraged women to have a deserved right to sexual agency, there has been much discussion in incel forums dedicated to the reversal of gender equity, many of the proposed solutions involve some form of coercion, rape, or a complete return to enforced monogamy under strict patriarchal rule.'

Unfortunately, this community is slowly fostering violent ideologies. In the 2018 Toronto van attack, a Canadian man ran a van into pedestrians, killing 10 people. According to BBC, the attacker told the investigators he was on a mission to kill as many people as possible and was inspired by the incel movement. While these extreme actions are rare, it is evident that the culture is spreading hatred and misogyny through its space.

Meanwhile, the makers of the Netflix show have urged the UK parliament to conduct a screening in the country's schools. 'I want it to be shown in schools, I want it to be shown in Parliament. It's crucial because this is only going to get worse,' Jack Thorne, the writer of the show, said.

On Wednesday, when Labour MP Anneliese Midgley asked him if he had watched the show, UK PM Sir Keir Starmer said, 'At home, we are watching Adolescence. I've got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, and it's a very good drama to watch. This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem. It's abhorrent, and we have to tackle it.'