Theory Matters Podcast | Incel Identity,Adolescence, and Education with Dr David Smith

We welcome back Dr David Smith, lecturer at Robert Gordon University, to examine the shifting landscape of inceldom — a phenomenon increasingly shaping social narratives, educational discourse, and youth identity in the digital age.

David positions inceldom within a complex web of mental health concerns, groupthink dynamics, neurodivergence, and online radicalisation, all contextualised within a broader socioeconomic picture of precarity, inequality, and disenfranchisement.

Drawing on his research and current thinking, David explores how psychological vulnerability, digital platforms, and masculinist ideologies combine to create echo chambers that entrench self-perception, breed resentment, and normalise misogyny. The episode examines the role of media representations, with particular focus on the Netflix drama Adolescence and its impact on public understanding. Is such a series a tool for raising awareness or does it risk oversimplification and sensationalism?

Paul and David discuss the merits or otherwise of showing the drama in schools as advised by the British Government.  David presents a nuanced critique, recognising its dramatic power and narrative resonance, while challenging its evidentiary foundation and pedagogical value. He argues that rather than viewing inceldom solely through a security or criminal justice lens, we must acknowledge it as a pressing public health and educational concern.

The episode raises significant questions for teachers, parents, and policymakers:

David’s insights draw attention to the broader sociopolitical terrain from which inceldom emerges. With reference to economic deprivation, rising NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) rates, and intergenerational disillusionment, he argues for macro-level interventions: investment in youth mental health, targeted support for vulnerable groups, and curricular approaches that address not only SRE but emotional wellbeing, digital media literacy and the psychology of belonging.

This episode is not simply a conversation about incels. It is a discussion about identity, adolescence, education, and the systems that either support or fail young people during critical stages of development.

Viewers and listeners working in education, psychology, youth work or social policy will find this episode particularly valuable and it serves as a thought-provoking entry point for anyone seeking to understand the intersecting crises of masculinity, technology, and disconnection that shape modern life for many.

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