"I found these places to be toxic": A mixed methods content analysis of visitors' impressions of incel forums.

This article examines the varied impressions of visitors to involuntary celibate (incel) forums, which are online communities primarily composed of self-identified cisgender heterosexual men who experience involuntary celibacy and often express misogynistic views. Using a mixed-methods approach with 390 adults who had visited incel forums, the study identified six main categories of impressions ranging on a continuum from perceiving the forums as a threat to viewing them as a shelter. Women, individuals of other genders, and non-incels were more likely to perceive the forums as threatening, while men and self-identified incels tended to see them as a refuge. The findings highlight the heterogeneity of perceptions toward incel forums, revealing both recognition of the forums' toxic and aggressive content and empathy toward the distress and social difficulties experienced by their members. These nuanced insights may inform future research and professional practices aimed at understanding and addressing the needs of individuals involved with or affected by incel communities.