Was UK Mass Murderer Radicalized in Anti-Porn Groups?

On Thursday, August 12, American Jake Davidson killed six people, including himself, in the worst mass shooting in England in the past eleven years.

Online, Jake was known as Jake3572 according to media reports, who've uncovered a disturbing history of involvement in online discussions regarding "incel" or the "involuntary celibate" groups.

Since Elliott Rodger killed six people in California, incel groups have been identified as breeding grounds of hate, misogyny, and violence. While not all men who participate in these groups or discussions are violent or misogynistic, these trends persist.

Like the incel groups, online discussions of ways to stop masturbating or cease watching pornography have also been identified as groups filled with hatred towards women, homophobia, antisemitism, and threats of violence. In 2019, I appeared on The Daily Show, describing how these groups radicalize young men by teaching them to fear masturbation.

Since that appearance, I've regularly received threats, death threats, and intimidating emails, including troubling messages from Gavin McInnes, founder of The Proud Boys. Recent research examining the discussions in these anti-porn and anti-masturbation groups has repeatedly documented that they thrive on the rejection of science and embrace extremely conservative, highly religious themes. These groups promote abstinence from pornography and masturbation as ways for men to become more masculine and successfully attract mates. As you might imagine, there is a significant overlap between the incel and these anti-porn/anti-masturbation groups.

Davidson's online discussions appear to be evidence of this. In one post, he described that "Porn makes men more dysfunctional around women, especially young men and boys as well as socially awkward males. It has for sure been 1 of the causes of rising male virginity."

Davidson appeared to blame pornography use for his virginity and had tried unsuccessfully to stop using pornography. He said:

I hate it honestly, none of it. I tried nofap for like 20 days when I was 18, and by the end of it, I was getting leakage and pre-cum and looking at my mother's 65-year-old ugly female friend with lust, so nofap is a no for me personally. So now I keep using Chaturbate and Pornhub, but if I had a girl and regular sex, I would stop using it in a heartbeat.

Davidson appears to be referencing an online strategy called "rebooting," where men are encouraged not to watch porn or masturbate for 90 days to reset their brains and sexuality and increase testosterone. The concept emerged from the sex addiction industry, which recommended 90 days of abstinence to "break the grip" of sex addiction. Sadly, there's no science behind this, and significant research suggests that decreased sexual activity, including masturbation, actually reduces testosterone. Further, as is apparent in Davidson's own description, attempting to maintain abstinence and failing increases distress and feelings of failure, a pattern confirmed in research.

Davidson stated online, "I hate masturbating, started to hate when I got to my mid to late teens it's just something you do. I tried nofap at 18 but only lasted 21 days. I don't think it works unless you have a GF; if and or when I get a GF, I'm def doing no fap."

In yet another post, Davidson again described "nofap for the rest of your life."

Sadly, Davidson appears to believe the online narrative that porn use and masturbation decrease men's interest in marriage. Unfortunately, scientific research has found that men who watch pornography are more interested in marriage. Further, men who watch pornography and masturbate have more frequent sex with partners, not less.

Currently, only two psychological treatment interventions have been found helpful and useful for people who report struggles with pornography. Those treatments include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Both treatment models help individuals identify the function of pornography in a person's life and de-energize by promoting other coping strategies such as mindfulness. Sadly, research is detailed that attempting to stop masturbating or thinking about masturbation increases thoughts about it and leads to greater distress and emotional struggles.

Had Davidson or people like him struggling in similar ways sought legitimate treatment as opposed to online amateur snake oil, they would be supported to examine their feelings of loneliness and develop new social behaviors to change the ways they feel. Rather than stopping their thoughts and behaviors, they would have been taught ways to change their thoughts and how to recognize that their thoughts about masturbation and porn are just thoughts–not commands and that these thoughts don't define who they are.

Davidson seems to have wanted to change how he felt, and like Robert Aaron Long, the killer in Atlanta, Davidson seems to have blamed other people, women, sex, and porn for the things he hated in himself and his life. Sadly, online discussions of porn and masturbation encourage radicalization and externalization, pointing the blame at things outside a person. Further, they encourage men to attack, battle, and fight normal, healthy aspects of themselves and their sexuality. Sadly, we see the tragic results of these ineffective, harmful strategies.