Stages of a moral panic:
- An event, condition, person, group etc. is perceived as a threat to safety, values and interests.
Incels, unwanted attention from unattractive men, misogyny, social media, the "manosphere", smartphones in schools.
- The nature of the threat is amplified by the media (you are here).
Adolescence, news articles, voxpops.
- Social anxiety and concern spreads amongst the public who demand something be done about it (you are transitioning to here)
Campaign groups, activism, lobbying.
- Leaders respond to the social anxiety and concern by suggesting and implementing disproportinate solutions via new policies and laws.
New Online Safety Act, anti-misogyny law, censorship, removal of threat from society.
- The condition disappears, submerges or deteriorates and becomes more visible.
'Incel' by this point basically means 'doing something women don't agree with'.