PGR Student Spotlight - Anda Solea

My thesis and its importance

I am a PhD candidate and a sessional teaching fellow within the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. I research online men’s communities characterised by misogyny, with a particular focus on ‘incels’ (short for involuntary celibates). My research delves into the dynamics of incel communities on popular video-sharing platforms – specifically TikTok and YouTube. The primary objective of my work is to shed light on how mainstream platforms contribute to the normalisation and dissemination of incel ideology, discourse, and extreme forms of misogyny.

Incels represent an online subculture of men that view themselves as unsuccessful in obtaining heteronormative sexual and romantic relationships. They hold the belief that they are rejected by women due to their perceived unattractiveness, leading to their marginalised status in society. Incels have been linked with multiple instances of mass violence over the past decade. For instance, the 2014 Isla Vista killings involved a self-identified incel who carried out misogynistic terror attacks, resulting in six fatalities and fourteen injuries. Such instances of mass violence are not confined to international incidents alone; they also manifest domestically, as evidenced by the Plymouth shootings of 2021, where five people lost their lives.

Additionally, it's crucial to acknowledge that violence against women does not need to be physical or extraordinary to be harmful; incel communities are known for perpetuating gendered hate speech, online harassment, and the degradation of women. These groups engage in hate campaigns that include threats of physical and sexual violence, along with the promotion of harmful beliefs that vilify women as immoral and deserving of punishment. The proliferation of such toxic ideologies online carries serious consequences, resulting in emotional and physical harm for women, adversely impacting women's engagement in the digital sphere and further normalising gendered abuse and misogyny, both ‘offline’ and online. Therefore, I believe it is instrumental to examine such manifestations of misogyny on mainstream media to understand their significance and impact, ultimately contributing to the advancement of both societal understanding and policy reforms.

Memberships and Awards

For my PhD study, I have been fortunate to be awarded a Faculty Bursary, which has been instrumental in my academic journey. Furthermore, in my commitment to enhancing my proficiency in data science, I successfully obtained the prestigious Turing Community Enrichment Scheme Award from the Alan Turing Institute. Recognised as the forefront Institution for AI and data science in the UK, this award is tailored to provide PhD students with the opportunity to expand their research and computational skills by engaging with the Turing community and exploring novel technologies.

This summer, I presented my first research paper and academic poster at the British Society of Criminology Conference (BSC). Notably, my poster won the Postgraduate Research Poster Prize, an achievement that led to an invitation to contribute a blog post on my research to the BSC website. I also showcased my research at the Faculty of Humanities Research and Innovation Conference this year, as well as at the Festival of Doctoral Research. This September, I will travel to Florence to present two papers at the European Society of Criminology Conference.

Journal Article Publication

One of the achievements that I am most proud of is the publication of my first journal article. Titled 'Mainstreaming the Blackpill: Understanding the Incel Community on TikTok.' This article was co-written with my supervisor, Dr Lisa Sugiura, who played a pivotal role in guiding my academic growth. Our article was published in the European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, as part of the Special Issue centred on Addressing Antisocial Behaviour and Toxic Communication Online.

The paper examines the incel community on TikTok, through an analysis of incel accounts, videos and their respective comments, to understand the role mainstream social media platforms play in the normalisation and spread of incel ideology and discourse. The findings suggest that on TikTok the expression of incel ideology takes a covert form, employing emotional appeals and pseudo-science to disseminate common incelosphere tropes. These approaches aim to resonate with broader audiences, including those who might be unfamiliar with the intricacies of incel ideology. The provided image exemplifies how these appeals are communicated on TikTok, through emotional appeals - encapsulating the theme of male victimisation; and pseudoscientific appeals - using deceptive ‘evidence’ to portray women negatively.

It is safe to say that this year has been very busy and stressful but I am very proud of my achievements and grateful to be able to research what I am passionate about and disseminate my work. Now, I am moving into my 3rd PhD year, and I am looking forward to continuing my academic journey.