Rage Bait Is a Brilliant Word of the Year

"The lexicographers at the Oxford University Press seem to be punking us. In 2015, their "word" of the year was "😂." In 2023, rizz. In 2024, brain rot. And now the publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary have chosen rage bait. As I write this, the spell-check bot has underlined many of these words in red or blue squiggles, urging me to rectify my missteps. But no mistakes have been made here."

"Rage bait -both the term and the phenomenon-is a product of the attention economy. The Oxford announcement defines it as "online content deliberately designed to elicit anger," which is "typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media account." Its usage has increased threefold over the past year, the press notes."

"When Oxford and other traditional authorities champion ideas and terms drawn from the internet, in many cases they're accused of, at best, mindlessly following trends and, at worst, debasing English speakers' cultural heritage. Decrying the elevation of rizz two years ago, Kayla Bartsch at National Review wrote, "Institutions such as Oxford-the primary steward of the English language for centuries-have a choice: elevate this new garble, or propel English speakers on toward worthier turns of phrase.""

Oxford University Press highlighted "rage bait" as a notable contemporary term, defining it as online content deliberately designed to elicit anger to increase traffic or engagement. Reported usage of the term rose threefold over the past year and the designation followed input from more than 30,000 voters. The choice underscores that language evolves through online innovation and that words gain currency by utility regardless of origin. The term encapsulates how the attention economy shapes discourse. Critics contend that traditional authorities sometimes mindlessly adopt internet-derived terms and risk debasing linguistic heritage, citing recent examples like "rizz."

Read at The Atlantic