“Rage bait” is defined as online content deliberately
designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or
offensive.

According to Oxford, the usage of the word has increased
threefold in the last 12 months.

“Rage bait” was first used online in a posting on Usenet in
2002 as a way to designate a particular type of driver reaction to being
flashed at by another driver requesting to pass them, introducing the idea of
deliberate agitation.

The word emerged as this year’s winner from a shortlist of
three finalist words chosen via public vote.

Other contenders were:

Aura farming – the cultivation of an impressive, attractive,
or charismatic persona or public image by behaving or presenting oneself in a
way intended subtly to convey an air of confidence, coolness or mystique.

Biohack – to attempt to improve or optimise one’s physical
or mental performance, health, longevity or wellbeing by altering one’s diet,
exercise routine or lifestyle or by using other means such as drugs,
supplements or technological devices.

In a statement, Casper Grathwohl, Oxford languages
president, said the use of word “rage bait” shows that people are becoming more
aware of how online content manipulates emotions.

“The fact that the word rage bait exists and has seen such a
dramatic surge in usage means we’re increasingly aware of the manipulation
tactics we can be drawn into online,” he said.

“Before, the internet was focused on grabbing our attention
by sparking curiosity in exchange for clicks, but now we’ve seen a dramatic
shift to it hijacking and influencing our emotions, and how we respond.

“It feels like the natural progression in an ongoing
conversation about what it means to be human in a tech-driven world—and the
extremes of online culture.”

The Oxford word of the year 2024 was “brain rot” and “rizz”
in 2023.