Social media rage bait — and why we're compelled to click on the angriest posts online 

As Oxford University Press names ‘rage bait’ its word of the year, Jonathan Este examines the strange addiction to links that anger us

Posting content intended to antagonise people may not seem like a wise strategy for a social media influencer. But people who post content on social media can make more money if their channel has a high level of engagement — regardless of how positively people are responding.

Oxford University Press announced this week that 'rage bait' has been named its word of the year. It means social media content that is designed to create a strong and negative reaction.

Posting content intended to antagonise people may not seem like a wise strategy for a social media influencer. But people who post content on social media can make more money if their channel has a high level of engagement — regardless of how positively people are responding.