Existence of phrase – to describe content intended to make you angry – shows people are aware of manipulation tactics used online, says Oxford Dictionary publisher
Good news for those who find their blood pressure rising as they scroll through their online news feeds: the Oxford English Dictionary’s publisher has highlighted the term they might need to describe how they often feel, naming “rage bait” as its word of the year.
According to the Oxford University Press’ analysis, use of the phrase has tripled in the past 12 months.
It defines it as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular webpage or social media content”.
Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Languages, said its very existence showed how aware people were becoming of the “manipulation tactics” used to grab their attention online.
