Incel culture and media representations of the manosphere: An analysis of the Netflix series Adolescence

This study examines the Netflix mini-series Adolescence (2025) utilizing Teun van Dijk’s critical discourse analysis. By analyzing the discursive construction of toxic masculinity within the narrative, the research interrogates the phenomena of the manosphere and digital misogyny through Stuart Hall’s theoretical framework of representation and ideology, while also drawing on Erikson’s psychosocial development theory to interpret the protagonist’s identity crisis. By approaching the series as a representation of the manosphere, toxic masculinity, and misogyny, the study explores how intersecting institutions – such as family, school, and digital ecosystems – are depicted in normalizing gender-based violence. Ultimately, this research reveals how the series represents the ideological plane where adolescent vulnerability is exploited by online extremist subcultures, providing a structural critique of how offline patriarchal norms are culturally and discursively legitimized in the digital age.