Social Media has contributed to the rise of the incel movement [Photo via Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons license].

When I entered middle school, I was excited to know I would finally be allowed to download Instagram. I imagined digitally communicating with my friends, uploading pictures of my Spring Break,  and double-tapping my screen to like a post. I did, however, not expect to come in contact with incels. 

Incels, or involuntary celibates, are a group of right-wing men based online. They think they lost the “genetic lottery” (believing that they are ugly) and blame women for their inactive sex lives. They will take out their anger and insecurities online by saying things like women denying them sex is the same as “reverse rape” and that women will always “marry up.” As unbelievable as it sounds, incels believe women to be less than human. And technology is contributing to that.

Incels thrive using social media sites such as Reddit and Discord to communicate with each other and harass other women. According to the New York Times, between 15 and 20 percent of minors who played online games have seen statements supporting the idea that women are “inferior.” Children are still developing and learning what’s right versus what’s wrong. Exposing children to hate speech online can influence them to think being hateful is acceptable — that being misogynistic is acceptable. 

It should be no surprise that incels utilize technology to their advantage. As Ellen Pao of Wired explains, many tech companies unintentionally encourage hate groups because of their First Amendment right — freedom of speech. These companies are providing incels a haven with no consequences. But extremist groups like incels need to be punished for their actions. When major technology companies look the other way while incels are consistently attacking minorities online, it is normalizing their behavior.

Many may think that incels cannot commit any real violence because they’re a community based online. However, many mass killings in the world have been from incels. In 2018, the Toronto Van Attack killed 10 people, eight of whom were women. Who was the perpetrator? An incel. Before the incident, the driver posted to his Facebook Account, “The Incel Rebellion has already begun!”, showing his dedication to the fanatic movement. 

The incel group is only continuing to grow on the internet and it is up to major technology companies to help stop it. Pretending that incels aren’t taking advantage of your websites isn’t helping — it’s contributing to the problem. Instead of ignoring their online attacks on marginalized groups, companies need to consider how incels’ harassment could escalate and happen in the real world. After all, incels will take any opportunity they can to tear women down and hurt them, why aren’t we taking the appropriate actions against them?