‘Rage bait’ has been selected as the Oxford Word of the Year 2025. It refers to content designed specifically to provoke readers or viewers, triggering uncontrollable anger to harvest profit through comments and shares. It is the business of monetizing the human tendency to be provoked—a commercialized version of the local phenomena we call “pongala” (mass online trolling) or “putting someone on air” (public shaming). In short, rage has become the primary emotion governing our cyber interactions. Beyond being a linguistic curiosity, this word signals a global shift in social media consumption and reminds us of the spiritual and social weakening of contemporary humanity.
Social media’s earlier habit was to troll those who made genuine mistakes. Today, that has evolved into a deliberate quest to earn hatred and the intentional creation of content that invites ridicule. The traditional norms of earning love or fame have been flipped upside down; earning rage and disgust is now a livelihood. In modern algorithms, love, truth, pure joy, or art seem to have less “engagement value” or “reaction power.” We are living in a culture where hatred and provocation are worth more than gold.
“‘Rage bait’… refers to content designed specifically to provoke readers or viewers, triggering uncontrollable anger to harvest profit through comments and shares. It is the business of monetizing the human tendency to be provoked… In modern algorithms, love, truth, pure joy, or art seem to have less ‘engagement value’ or ‘reaction power.’ We are living in a culture where hatred and provocation are worth more than gold.”
Making oneself a laughingstock has become a survival strategy. Content that adopts styles, dialogues, or attire specifically intended to wound the traditional, religious, or moral values of family audiences is another form of rage bait. Creating videos that force a viewer to comment, “Who on earth created these people?” is becoming a refined art form and culture. This ecosystem includes not just the creators, but also the “roasters” who respond to them. One person’s deliberate stupidity becomes the content for another person’s reaction video. In effect, both parties are selling rage for profit. Recognizing this is the next step in digital literacy.
In Kerala, the biggest victims and hunters of rage bait are found within gender politics. “Anti-woke” content that provocatively dismisses women’s empowerment and progressive ideas receives massive acceptance. Posts and reels containing misogynistic remarks are intentionally crafted, aiming for views from those who come to oppose them. Consequently, this deepens the online divide between genders.
“One person’s deliberate stupidity becomes the content for another person’s reaction video. In effect, both parties are selling rage for profit. Recognizing this is the next step in digital literacy… Creating videos that force a viewer to comment, ‘Who on earth created these people?’ is becoming a refined art form and culture.”
Political cyber-wings use a different form of rage bait by releasing “capsules” (tailored narratives) that prioritize emotion over facts. By creating war-like polarizations in comment sections, they increase the reach of their ideologies. The media and writers are not far behind. We are witnessing new-age “algorithmic prisons” that hijack common sense and turn humans into purely emotional beings—people eager to listen without observing, speak without thinking, and react without patience.
Pope Leo XIV urged global news agencies on 9 October 2025 never to betray their duty to telling the truth by focusing on “click-bait” articles and to exercise caution in using artificial intelligence tools in their reporting. “Communication must be freed from the misguided thinking that corrupts it … and from the degrading practice of so-called click-bait,” the pope said. “I urge you, never sell out your authority.” “You can act as a barrier against those who, through the ancient art of lying, seek to create divisions in order to rule by dividing,” Leo told journalists attending a conference held by Minds International, a non-profit organization that includes Reuters and other news agencies.
“In Kerala, the biggest victims and hunters of rage bait are found within gender politics. ‘Anti-woke’ content that provocatively dismisses women’s empowerment… receives massive acceptance. Posts and reels containing misogynistic remarks are intentionally crafted, aiming for views from those who come to oppose them. Consequently, this deepens the online divide between genders.”
Rage bait has even found a home in religious spaces. A new strategy involves “provoking” believers to increase their religious fervour. This might involve: Degrading other religions, communities, or cultures; Spreading half-truths to instill fear; Creating a “hated other” who must be defeated to gain God and Heaven. There are those attempting to proclaim Jesus—who is love itself—through any means possible. But will malice and rage ever truly open the path to Heaven?
In summary, we are witnessing the normalization of rage and provocation. Online abuse is becoming commonplace. Our egos and hypocritical moral standards are constantly bleeding into the digital space, eventually draining the empathy remaining within us.
“Identifying and ignoring rage bait is the essential next step in digital literacy… We are witnessing new-age ‘algorithmic prisons’ that hijack common sense and turn humans into purely emotional beings—people eager to listen without observing, speak without thinking, and react without patience.”
Here, lies that ignite emotions gain more prominence than facts. This leads us toward a new kind of linguistic culture. If we observe our own recent comments and opinions in virtual public spaces, this reality becomes clear. We are forced into a state where the mind is kept in constant conflict. Identifying and ignoring rage bait is the essential next step in digital literacy.
