ragebait

English

Alternative forms

• rage-bait, rage bait

Etymology

From rage +‎ -bait (manipulation to elicit a particular response). Compare rage farm.

Noun

ragebait (uncountable)

1. (Internet, derogatory) Website content which relies on headlines provoking anger or fear in order to increase viewership or interaction.
   • 2019 April 7, Jesse Singal, “The New Science of How to Argue—Constructively”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     Even before I spoke with the political scientists, Nerst contended that a better understanding of today’s online argumentation would help people cope with its excesses. “Most people really are tired of shouting matches and want more nuance (according to surveys etc.),” he wrote to me, “and I hope we will develop some cultural immunity towards ragebait and hyperzealotry soon. […] ”

   • 2019 November 1, Charlie Warzel, “Can Democrats Compete With Trump’s Twitter Feed?”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     Donald Trump and Republicans understand this potent combination of content creation and shamelessness. Whether it’s weekend tweets by the president or Rudy Giuliani’s constant availability to journalists and Fox News hosts, Trumpists flood the zone with misinformation or ragebait.

   • 2019 December 12, Jessica Guynn, “Facebook disinformation in the 2020 presidential election: What you can do to stop its spread”, in USA Today‎^[3]:

     Beware ragebait, social media that traffic in fear
     Does that Facebook post make your blood boil? Or does it make you fearful of the future? Those are two of the reddest flags out there. But there are more.

   • 2020 January 31, McKay Coppins, “The Conservatives Trying to Ditch Fake News”, in The Atlantic‎^[4]:

     On any given day, those who get their news from the loudest voices on the right—Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Breitbart News—are bombarded with partisan propaganda, conspiracy theories, and cynical rage-bait.

   • 2020 February 13, Charlie Warzel, “Mike Bloomberg Is Hacking Your Attention”, in The New York Times‎^[5]:

     The whole thing sounds Trumpian because it is. The Trump campaign was unabashed in 2016 and beyond about its plan to “flood the zone” with garbage or ragebait. The strategy worked in part because it engaged and energized his base.

   • 2020 July 16, Paul Waldman, “Trump reshuffles his campaign. If only he could reshuffle himself.”, in The Washington Post‎^[6]:

     So what, precisely, is the new Trump campaign leadership going to do differently? Is there some brilliant stratagem just waiting to be discovered and executed? ¶ Of course not. They’ll keep pumping out those Facebook ads, which will bombard voters who already support him with endless ragebait.