Rage baiting
A woman looked irritated while scrolling on her phone. StockSnap from Pixabay

Scrolling through social media can feel like a rollercoaster of emotions. One moment you are idly browsing, the next you are hit with a post that sparks instant irritation. That very phenomenon has now been immortalised by Oxford University Press, which has chosen the phrase 'rage bait' as its Word of the Year for 2025.

The term triumphed over other online contenders like 'aura farming' and 'biohack.' Oxford announced the result on Sunday, noting that the use of the phrase has tripled in the past year.

According to the BBC, the rise of 'rage bait' reflects how online culture increasingly thrives on outrage.

What is Rage Bait?

The term is regularly used by social media users, many of whom have likely been rage baited themselves while scrolling online.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term as 'online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive.'

These types of content are often posted to increase online traffic to social media accounts or websites. In a separate BBC feature, content creators admitted to using rage bait as a way to monetise engagement.

It is somehow similar to its online cousin, clickbait, which refers to a triggering or sensational headline used to lure readers into clicking on an article or watching a video.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr William Brady, an expert on studying how the brain interacts with new technologies, explained that reacting to negative content is typical for humans. 'In our past, this is the kind of content that we really needed to pay attention to,' he said, 'so we have these biases built into our learning and our attention.'

Marketing podcaster Andréa Jones also explained how using rage bait can boost someone's presence online.

'If we see a cat, we're like 'oh, that's cute' and scroll on. But if we see someone doing something obscene, we may type in the comments "this is terrible", and that sort of comment is seen as a higher quality engagement by the algorithm', Jones said.

The more rage baiting content a social media user creates, the more engagement they will attract. As a result, those posts translate into higher earnings.

Oxford Language President Casper Grathwohl explained the significance of the phrase in today's world.

'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,' Grathwohl said.

'Before, the internet was focused on grabbing our attention by sparking curiosity in exchange for clicks, but now we've seen a dramatic shift to it hijacking and influencing our emotions, and how we respond,' he added.

Rage baiting also comes in many forms, such as odd food recipes, bashing a famous person, or dabbling in politics.

Other Shortlisted Words Defined

Two other words or phrases nearly claimed the title: biohack and aura farming.

Biohack means an 'attempt to improve or optimise one's physical or mental performance, health, longevity, or wellbeing by altering one's diet, exercise routine, or lifestyle, or by using other means such as drugs, supplements, or technological devices.'

Meanwhile, aura farming means 'cultivation of an impressive, attractive, or charismatic persona or public image by behaving or presenting oneself in a way intended subtly to convey an air of confidence, coolness or mystique.'

Together with rage bait, these words were placed in a public vote to help Oxford University Press decide which best captured the spirit of 2025.

Writer's pick