In a move that perfectly encapsulates the modern digital landscape, Oxford University Press has declared "rage bait" its Word of the Year for 2025. The term, selected by the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary, highlights the pervasive online strategy of creating content specifically engineered to provoke outrage and drive engagement.
What Exactly Is 'Rage Bait'?
The lexicographers at Oxford define "rage bait" as online material that is "deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive." The primary goal is to generate massive traffic, comments, and shares for a social media account, capitalizing on the algorithms that often prioritize high-engagement content, even if that engagement is negative.
As lexicographer Susie Dent explained to the BBC, creators of such content "will bask in the millions, quite often, of comments and shares and even likes sometimes." She noted that while people enjoy positive content, "we tend to engage more with negative content and content that really provokes us," a behavior that social media platforms' algorithms actively reward.
The Runners-Up: 'Aura Farming' and 'Biohack'
"Rage bait" emerged victorious from a shortlist of other culturally significant terms curated by Oxford's experts. The selection process included a period for public comment on the finalists.
The other top contenders were:
- "Aura farming": This phrase refers to the act of cultivating a public image by presenting oneself in a manner intended to subtly project an air of confidence, coolness, or mystique.
- "Biohack": Defined as an attempt to improve or optimize one's physical or mental performance, health, or longevity, often through unconventional methods.
A Tradition of Capturing the Cultural Moment
The Oxford Word of the Year is an annual tradition dating back to 2004, where lexicologists analyze new words and shifts in language usage to pinpoint a term of significant cultural relevance. The choice of "rage bait" follows in the footsteps of previous winners that have also defined their eras.
Notable past winners include "podcast" in 2005, "emoji" in 2015, and the 2022 winner "goblin mode," which described the rejection of societal expectations and a embrace of unapologetic self-indulgence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The selection of "rage bait" for 2025 serves as a stark reflection of the current state of online discourse, where outrage has become a powerful currency for driving traffic and interaction on social media platforms worldwide.
