Prompt Cast
The Rise and Fall of the Incel Movement: From Support to Toxicity
TLDR Alana, a college student, created an online support group for lonely individuals called Elana's Involuntary Celibacy Project, but the incel community eventually became dominated by angry and violent individuals, leading to the decline of positive and supportive forums. Alana is now working on a new research project called Love Not Anger to help lonely people find love without being associated with misogynists.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Alana, a college student, had a conversation with a stranger who was also lonely and had never been on a date, which stuck with her because she had the same problem.
03:32
Alana, after finally starting to date at 24, decided to create an online support group to help others who were stuck in the same situation she had been in, drawing from her experience of reducing shame through coming out as queer.
06:27
The online support group, Elana's Involuntary Celibacy Project, attracted a diverse community of shy individuals who felt trapped and were seeking support and understanding.
09:43
Lana's support group for incels never made progress as a group, and she eventually walked away from it, thinking the movement would die out, but she was wrong.
13:17
The incel community grew and splintered into different groups, including vol cells, gym cells, and posers, while other groups like men's rights activists and pickup artists promised answers to incels.
15:56
The incel community became increasingly fragmented and difficult to find, and in 2014, Elliot Roger's violent actions solidified the toxic incels as the dominant group, leading to the decline and abandonment of positive and supportive incel forums.
19:27
Alana recognizes that the incel movement has been taken over by angry and violent individuals, making it difficult for her to address the problem of loneliness without being associated with misogynists, but she still cares about helping lonely people find love and is working on a new research project called Love Not Anger.
Categories:
Technology
Society & Culture
