What is rage bait?
You know that feeling when you feel someone has deliberately posted something so obtuse, your hands clench and you flex your fingers, ready for a digital war?
Even if you’ve never heard the term, chances are you’ve been rage baited. Oxford University Press defines it as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive.” Unlike clickbait, which primarily lures clicks with curiosity-inducing headlines, rage bait is laser-focused on making viewers lose their cool.
Why is rage bait so profitable?
Rage bait isn’t just a digital nuisance. It’s a business model. By provoking outrage, these posts drive traffic, boost engagement, and fuel algorithms, keeping viewers scrolling, sharing, and arguing. “The fact that the word rage bait exists and has seen such a dramatic surge in usage means we’re increasingly aware of the manipulation tactics we can be drawn into online,” said Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages in a statement.
How Does Oxford pick the word of the year?
It’s not a random scroll through the dictionary. Every year, Oxford University Press lexicographers put on their language detective hats, scouring English for new words and tracking shifts in how old favorites are used. They take tips from colleagues, the public, and the world’s biggest headlines to cook up a shortlist.
Other dictionaries got in on the fun, too
Cambridge Dictionary went for “parasocial”, the term for a relationship with celebrities you’ve never met. Collins Dictionary, meanwhile, embraced the future with “vibe coding”, which is basically telling AI what app or website you want instead of actually typing a single line of code.