Book contents
- Manipulation, Influence and Deception
- Manipulation, Influence and Deception
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- I(Re)framing Persuasion
- IIPersuasion and (New) Contexts of Use
- IIIThe Dark Side of Persuasion
- 8The Importance of Context in Analysing the Incitement of Violence
- 9‘I’d Say That Being Here Has Helped Me’
- 10Language, Manipulation, and Online Radicalisation
- IVPersuasion and Algorithms
- VDiscussion
- Index
- References
9 - ‘I’d Say That Being Here Has Helped Me’
Attracting New Members to Online Incel Communities
from III - The Dark Side of Persuasion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 June 2025
Book contents
- Manipulation, Influence and Deception
- Manipulation, Influence and Deception
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- I(Re)framing Persuasion
- IIPersuasion and (New) Contexts of Use
- IIIThe Dark Side of Persuasion
- 8The Importance of Context in Analysing the Incitement of Violence
- 9‘I’d Say That Being Here Has Helped Me’
- 10Language, Manipulation, and Online Radicalisation
- IVPersuasion and Algorithms
- VDiscussion
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter explores how members of the online incel community interact with (presumably) new members on the subreddit r/Braincels. It seeks to explore why new members might stay on a website known for hostility and poor mental health. Through the use of corpus linguistic methods, I explore ways that members of the community might interact with newcomers. I argue that users do not index their identity as new on the forum through lexemes such as new or first, and that there appears to be few repeated and explicit ways that members signal posting on the forum for the first time. As such, I analyse how incels construct their community, by using corpus linguistic methods and Martin and White’s (2005) appraisal framework. I argue that the members of the incel community constructed their group as ‘toxic’, but also as a place where they were able to receive mental health support. Ultimately, I argue that more work needs to be done to explore not only why people might engage with these kinds of forums, but also how members of the incel community convince people to stay engaged.
Keywords
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- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Manipulation, Influence and DeceptionThe Changing Landscape of Persuasive Language, pp. 177 - 195Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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