Unveiling digital threat: How social media fuels toxic masculinity and incel culture

Toxic masculinity pressures young men to suppress their emotions while promoting aggression and dominance as ideal male traits. Social media not only reinforces these harmful behaviors but also normalizes misogyny among young users.

The incel culture, in particular, thrives on feelings of failure and social rejection, pushing young men toward radicalization.

Digital age and transformation of male identity

According to a report by Yasemin Giritli Inceoglu from T24, the digital revolution has reshaped societal structures and significantly influenced the formation of male identity. Traditional masculinity norms are perpetuated through social media, exposing young men to online communities that promote misogyny, incel ideology, and toxic masculinity.

These virtual spaces have devastating consequences for both individual psychology and gender relations.

Adolescence: A Netflix mini-series exposing dark side of social media

Netflix’s four-part mini-series Adolescence delves into the radical narratives young men encounter online and how these shape their perception of masculinity. The protagonist, Jamie (Owen Cooper), is introduced to hyper-masculine and sexist rhetoric on social media, reshaping his understanding of male identity.

Algorithms further exacerbate the problem by amplifying such content, creating an echo chamber effect that rapidly spreads misogynistic messages, fueling radicalization, and embedding dangerous gender narratives in society.

The hidden language behind emojis

The series also highlights how emojis, seemingly harmless symbols, carry deeper and often dangerous meanings. This secret language operates beyond parental oversight, encoding messages that adults fail to decipher. Emojis, in many cases, conveys more than words, enabling young users to share radical messages discreetly.

• The red pill emoji: Inspired by “The Matrix” (1999), this emoji signifies “seeing the truth” but also serves as a manosphere call to “wake up.” The manosphere consists of misogynistic websites, blogs, and online platforms promoting an anti-women ideology. When someone sends this emoji, they may be subtly endorsing misogyny.
• The dynamite emoji: When paired with the red pill emoji, it symbolizes “explosive awakening,” an incel culture marker reinforcing involuntary celibacy and deepening hostility toward women.
• Colored heart emojis: Each color conveys a different emotion—red for love, purple for arousal, yellow for “attention,” and pink for non-sexual affection. This coded language isolates young users from adult supervision, fostering an underground communication system that spreads radical narratives.

A pivotal scene between Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and his son Adam in “Adolescence” reveals the depth of this hidden language. When Adam tells his father, “Everything has a meaning,” it underscores how digital communication has become layered and difficult to decode.

The algorithmic trap: How social media drives incel identity

Social media platforms use algorithms to push content similar to what users have already engaged with, reinforcing existing biases. For young men experiencing loneliness, failure, and social rejection, these algorithms can lead them directly into incel forums and radical online communities.

These groups validate and amplify their frustrations, accelerating their descent into misogynistic ideologies.

The incel culture is not just about feelings of failure or rejection—it fosters deep-seated hatred toward women. By creating an exclusive subculture with its own coded language, incels legitimize their worldview and spread misogynistic rhetoric.

The echo chamber effect of social media intensifies this radicalization, convincing young men that traditional masculinity is under attack and pushing them to redefine their identities within a toxic framework.

Media Influence: Cultivation theory, mean world syndrome

According to George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory, prolonged media exposure leads individuals to perceive the world as more dangerous than it actually is. The prevalence of violence and negativity in media fosters a belief that the world is filled with threats. The Mean World Syndrome further supports the idea that traditional institutions like family and home are the only safe havens. In Adolescence, parents express disbelief at their son’s transformation, saying, “We thought he was safe at home.” This scene powerfully challenges the illusion of home as a protective space, emphasizing the overlooked dangers of digital radicalization.

As media exposure shapes young minds, it disrupts the conventional belief that home provides ultimate safety. The digital world introduces an entirely new dimension of coded communication that parents struggle to navigate. This disconnect between generations highlights the growing influence of digital platforms in shaping young men’s worldviews.

Toxic masculinity, incel culture, and the secret language of radicalization

Toxic masculinity forces young men into emotional suppression, encouraging aggressive and dominance-driven behaviors. Social media perpetuates these patterns, normalizing misogyny and fueling the incel movement. Within this ecosystem, coded language becomes the most dangerous tool, allowing young men to unknowingly adopt and spread radical narratives.

This new form of communication goes beyond simple emojis—it is a multi-layered, algorithm-driven discourse shaped by social rejection. By using these codes, young men defy societal norms, embracing misogyny and toxic masculinity as perceived rights. This alarming trend represents one of the most pressing dangers of the digital age.

Solutions: Media literacy and alternative masculinity models

Preventing young men from falling into these digital traps requires a greater emphasis on media literacy. Understanding social media algorithms and digital manipulation techniques can help young people critically assess the content they consume.

Additionally, promoting alternative masculinity models that embrace gender equality and emotional intelligence can provide healthier role models for young men.

On a broader level, media policies and digital platforms must take responsibility for curbing toxic masculinity and incel culture.

Educational institutions, parents, and media organizations should collaborate to equip young people with the skills needed to navigate online spaces safely. Only through a collective effort can society become more resilient against the hidden dangers of the digital world.

Netflix’s “Adolescence” offers a stark warning about the perilous influence of social media on young male identity, highlighting the need for increased awareness. To combat toxic masculinity and incel culture, social media accountability, widespread media literacy, and the promotion of healthy digital communities are essential steps forward.