Extremism Trending: Nihilistic violence and non-ideological terrorism
Room CL/A/057, Church Lane Building, Campus West, University of York (Map)
Event details
York Intelligence and Defence Society event
In this compelling speaker event, Meadhbh Park, author of Blackpilled: Masculinity, Media and Incels, takes an unflinching look at how the landscape of violent extremism has evolved. Moving beyond traditional definitions, Park explores the alarming convergence of nihilism, misanthropy, mass-shooter fascination, and neo-Nazism pulsing through digital subcultures.
Crucially, the event tackles why these spaces hold such a potent pull for today’s hyper-tech-savvy teenagers. Driven by a mix of clout-chasing, gore, and online radicalisation, young people are increasingly vulnerable. These digital ecosystems aren't just breeding grounds for hateful ideologies; they are cultivating real-world operational threats, ranging from high-profile corporate cyberattacks to violent extortion groups.
Rather than relying purely on condemnation, Park emphasizes the urgent need for empathy and deep understanding. By examining the real vulnerabilities drawing teens into these dark online networks, this talk offers parents, educators, and professionals vital tools to decode modern extremism, recognize the warning signs, and better protect the next generation.
This talk is supported by the Public Lectures Fund.
About the speaker
Meadhbh Park is a researcher of trending extremist subcultures and youth radicalisation. She has previously researched and worked on incels, Mixed, Unclear and Unstable ideologies, the Red Pill, The Com Network (764), school shooter fascination (TCC/Columbiners), QAnon and nihilistic extremism.
She wrote the book 'Blackpilled: Masculinity, Media and Incels': an in depth analysis of the Blackpill (incel ideological worldview) demonstrating how the narratives and ideas in it stem from mainstream messaging and media. Grounded in interviews with incels from around the world, the book takes a nuanced approach to understanding why some young men engage in this community and what they believe.
Especially focused on the messages around masculinity, the book seeks to show the pressures and expectations in our mainstream media around manhold. Blackpilled argues that the messages on gender in the Blackpill are ultimately not too distant from the messaging in our mainstream culture. Featured on PoliticsJoe, the BBC, The Guardian, SxSW EDU 2023, Meadhbh was also a panelist at the Oxford Union Manosphere panel in 2025.
She has since designed and delivered workshops, courses, and presentations for schools, parents, teachers, law enforcement, mental health practitioners, government departments and special groups and committees.
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Wheelchair accessible
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