Oxford University Press Names 'Rage Bait' Word of the Year for 2025
Oxford University Press has selected "rage bait" as its 2025 Word of the Year, reflecting the pervasive internet zeitgeist and content designed to provoke online anger and outrage.
Overview
Oxford University Press officially named "rage bait" as its Word of the Year for 2025, highlighting its significant impact on contemporary online discourse and social media outrage.
"Rage bait" is defined as online content deliberately designed to elicit strong emotional reactions, particularly anger or outrage, from viewers to increase engagement.
The selection process involves analyzing new and emerging words and trends, with "rage bait" emerging victorious after a public comment period.
It beat out other contenders like "aura farming" and "biohack" to secure the title, reflecting its prominence in current cultural vocabulary.
This annual announcement by Oxford University Press, a tradition since 2004, aims to capture the prevailing mood and cultural trends of the year.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources cover this story neutrally, focusing on the factual announcement of Oxford's Word of the Year and providing clear, objective definitions and context. They avoid loaded language or selective emphasis, presenting the information straightforwardly. The coverage includes the term's meaning, origin, and the selection process, alongside other dictionaries' choices, demonstrating a balanced, informative approach.
Articles (7)
FAQ
"Rage bait" refers to online content deliberately designed to provoke strong emotional reactions, especially anger or outrage, to increase engagement such as clicks, views, or comments.
Oxford University Press chose "rage bait" as the Word of the Year due to its significant impact on online discourse and social media, reflecting the prevalent cultural trend of content designed to provoke outrage in 2025.
Rage bait can cause feelings of frustration, overwhelm, isolation, and hopelessness, particularly for younger users, as engaging with such provocative content deepens its emotional impact and influences their online experience.
Common tactics include posting controversial or insulting comments to spark angry exchanges, deliberately misrepresenting people or their positions, disguising attacks as concern, and using inflammatory memes or videos to provoke strong emotional responses.
Besides "rage bait," contenders included terms like "aura farming" and "biohack," but "rage bait" was chosen for its cultural prominence and relevance.
History
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