It's all the rage! Term for stirring up anger online is Oxford word of them year.
PEOPLE who feel their blood pressure rising while scrolling on the internet now have an official phrase for their plight: 'rage bait'.
The term has been named Oxford University Press (OUP) word of the year, reflecting the online zeitgeist.
It refers to content that is 'deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive,' said the OUP.
'The aim is to drive internet traffic to a particular social media account,' it added.
Lexicographer Susie Dent, who appears on Countdown, told the BBC: 'The person producing it will bask in the millions – quite often – of comments and shares and even likes.
'Although we love our fluffy cats, we'll appreciate that we tend to engage more with negative content and content that really provokes us.'
'Rage bait' beat two other terms that were shortlisted by the OUP and then voted for by the 'public': 'aura farming' and 'rizzback'.
'The former refers to cultivating a public image by presenting yourself in a way intended subtly to convey an air of confidence, coolness or mystique.
'The latter is an attempt to improve or optimise physical or mental performance, health or longevity.'
When choosing its word of the year, the OUP analyses new and emerging terms – as well as changes in the way language is used – to identify phrases of 'cultural significance'.
The first was selected in 2004 and previous winners include 'podcast' in 2005, 'emoji' in 2015 and 'goblin mode' – people resisting a return to normal life after the pandemic – in 2022.
Last year, the term 'brain rot' topped the OUP's list.
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