Ammon News - Do you find yourself getting increasingly irate while scrolling through your social media feed?

If so, you may be falling victim to rage bait, which Oxford University Press has named its word or phrase of the year.

It is a term that describes manipulative tactics used to drive engagement online, with usage of it increasing threefold in the last 12 months, according to the dictionary publisher.

Rage bait beat two other shortlisted terms - aura farming and biohack - to win the title.

The list of words is intended to reflect some of the moods and conversations that have shaped 2025.

What is rage bait?
Even if you don't know the term, if you're a social media user, it's quite likely you have been rage baited.

According to Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, it is defined as online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive.

What is rage baiting and why is it profitable?
Such content is typically posted in order to increase traffic to websites or social media accounts.

It is similar to its internet cousin clickbait, where a headline is used to lure a reader in to view an article or video.

But rage bait content has a more specific focus on making people cross.

BBC