General · 1 December 2025
'Rage bait' named Oxford's word of the year.
Oxford University Press selected 'rage bait' as its 2025 Word of the Year, defining it as online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage to drive engagement and website traffic. The term's usage has tripled in the past year, beating finalists 'aura farming' and 'biohack' in a public vote involving over 30,000 participants. Oxford experts noted the selection reflects growing awareness of digital manipulation tactics and concerns over social media algorithms that amplify provocative content.
Reported by CNN · How we write briefs