Social media's genuine impact on the life of writer and broadcaster Yomi Adegoke explored

In the world of journalism, high-profile figures often find themselves at the centre of unexpected storms. Such is the case for journalist Ola Olajide, the protagonist of Yomi Adegoke's forthcoming novel The List. Set to marry her fiancé Michael, their lives are turned upside down when a crowdsourced list of sexual abusers is published online, including Michael's name.

Adegoke, a journalist and novelist, has a love-hate relationship with social media. This ambivalence is reflected in her work, as she delves into the complexities of movements like #MeToo and cancel culture, and the potential for them to be weaponized. The List is a cautionary tale about the internet's reckless power and the potential consequences of online movements.

Incel culture, an online community of people feeling unable to find a romantic or sexual partner and promoting misogynistic worldviews, is another topic Adegoke tackles in her novel. The impact of incel culture on Black men across different class backgrounds and racial identities is complex and deeply shaped by the racialized and gendered foundations of the ideology.

While specific empirical studies directly addressing Black men’s experiences across different class backgrounds in incel culture are limited, the broader racialized dynamics imply that Black men from various socioeconomic statuses may experience intersecting challenges. They may be alternately marginalized within the incel subculture itself, yet simultaneously racialized in misogynistic and patriarchal ways that undermine their sovereignty and masculinity.

Working-class or economically marginalized Black men might feel their exclusion doubly reinforced by both the racialized hierarchy within incel narratives and broader societal economic inequalities, fostering a sense of unworthiness and social invisibility akin to that seen in other disenfranchised groups within the manosphere.

The ideological foundation of incel culture, oriented around reclaiming white male authority, means that Black men’s experiences are filtered through stereotypes that essentialize their desirability or threat level in racialized sexual hierarchies, regardless of class. This tension reflects how incel masculinity operates as a racial fantasy that demands restoration of “birthrights” of whiteness and maleness at the expense of racialized others.

Incel culture’s impact on Black men is shaped by the racialized misogyny within the incel/manosphere that frames Black men as undeserving sexual rivals while marginalizing their own vulnerabilities. Class-related experiences of exclusion and invisibility within racial hierarchies perpetuated by incel ideology and broader societal structures also play a significant role. The ideological centring of whiteness situates Black men both inside and outside the incel discourse in contradictory ways, reinforcing racial and gendered hierarchies.

This intersectional dynamic demands nuanced understanding, as incel culture is not solely about sexual frustration but also about a racialized struggle over masculinity and social power. Empirical research directly addressing Black men’s lived experiences across class and racial identities within incel spaces remains limited but is critical for further insight.

Adegoke initially wanted to write a long read on the subject but decided against it in 2017 due to the topic being too fresh and unfolding. Now, The List is being co-developed by HBO Max, the BBC, and A24 for the screen. The novel, published by 4th Estate, is available in July 2023.

References:

[1] Adegoke, Y. (2023). The List. 4th Estate.

[3] Adegoke, Y. (2023). The List: A Cautionary Tale About the Internet's Reckless Power. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/01/the-list-yomi-adegoke-cautionary-tale-about-the-internets-reckless-power