Overview
- Oxford defines the term as online content crafted to provoke anger to drive clicks or engagement.
- Usage of the phrase increased threefold over the past year, according to Oxford’s analysis of large language datasets.
- Rage bait topped a shortlist that included aura farming and biohack, with Oxford officials describing it as the clear public favorite.
- Oxford Languages president Casper Grathwohl said the shift reflects a move from curiosity-based clicks to emotion‑hijacking tactics and linked the trend to last year’s selection, brain rot.
- Researchers said the term marks a broader change in how attention, engagement, and online ethics are discussed, with Oxford outlining a data‑driven selection process enhanced by public participation.