The "rage bait" is a typical example.
The Oxford University Press's word of the year for 2025 is "rage bait".
By definition, "rage bait" refers to deliberately designed online content that provokes viewers' anger or outrage through frustrating, provocative, or offensive means.
Core formula: Create factions → Amplify hatred → Harvest repeatedly
Characteristics:
· Always stand from a "high vantage point"
· Simplify complex issues into us vs. them
· The comments section is always filled with insults, but the traffic is very stable
👉 They do not need your agreement, just your anger.
Because the platform's algorithm rewards: time spent × comment density × intensity of opposition, not rationality.
In fact, this can also be considered a form of online fraud, even scarier than scamming money.