Oxford University Press has declared ‘rage bait’ its Word of the Year for 2025, a term that perfectly encapsulates the dominant and often toxic forces shaping online discourse.
What Exactly is 'Rage Bait'?
The prestigious publisher, responsible for the Oxford English Dictionary, defines the phrase as online material ‘deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive.’ The primary goal is not debate or information, but to drive significant traffic and engagement to social media accounts.
Lexicographer Susie Dent explained the phenomenon to the BBC, noting that creators of such content ‘will bask in the millions, quite often, of comments and shares and even likes sometimes.’ This success is not accidental but engineered, leveraging the fundamental mechanics of social media platforms.
The Algorithmic Engine Behind the Anger
Dent pointed directly to the algorithms used by major tech companies as the accelerant. ‘Although we love fluffy cats,’ she remarked, ‘we’ll appreciate that we tend to engage more with negative content and content that really provokes us.’ This behavioural tendency is systematically exploited, making outrage a powerful and reliable tool for visibility in a crowded digital landscape.
The Runners-Up in the Lexical Race
‘Rage bait’ emerged victorious from a public vote on a shortlist curated by Oxford's lexicographers, beating two other strong contenders that also reflect modern digital life.
The first runner-up was ‘aura farming,’ which means to cultivate a public image by presenting oneself in a way intended to subtly project an air of confidence, coolness, or mystique.
The second was ‘biohack,’ defined as an attempt to improve or optimise one’s physical or mental performance, health, or longevity, often through personal experimentation.
A Tradition of Capturing the Cultural Moment
The Oxford Word of the Year is selected by experts who analyse new and emerging words, tracking shifts in language use to pinpoint terms of significant cultural importance. The programme has run annually since 2004.
Past winners offer a snapshot of societal preoccupations over two decades, including:
- ‘podcast’ in 2005
- ‘emoji’ in 2015
- ‘goblin mode’ in 2022, describing the rejection of societal expectations post-pandemic
The selection of ‘rage bait’ for 2025 serves as a stark marker of our current digital environment, where calculated provocation often triumphs, fuelled by engagement-driven algorithms that reward our most visceral reactions.
