In this episode, I explore the steep rise of ragebait content & why we love to hate— from innocuous celebrity PR plays to more dangerous strategies in tech and politics intended to keep our digital ecosystem hostile and divided. 

Timestamps:

3:34 Defining ragebait 

6:28 The rise of ragebait & how platforms have played a role

11:50 Examples of mainstream ragebait by influencers: Nikacado Avocado & Winta Zesu

15:33 Ragebait as a political tool

20:35 Political ragebait example: Jubilee 

22:27 The threats of ragebait

24:00 The appeal of ragebait

27:18 Conclusion 

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Sources:

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=ragebait&hl=en 

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/what-is-rage-bait-influencers-making-people-angry-1234976621/ 

https://www.wired.com/story/gadget-lab-podcast-659/ 

https://thehilltoponline.com/2024/09/09/rage-bait-is-making-users-mad-and-content-creators-money/ 

https://www.threads.net/@zuck/post/C89oeSORn81 

https://theconversation.com/the-draw-of-the-manosphere-understanding-andrew-tates-appeal-to-lost-men-199179 

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03616843221123745 

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/01/owning-the-libs-is-the-only-gop-platform/676692/ 

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-creators-rage-farm-on-tiktok-and-why-its-on-the-rise-2022-12 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/19/libs-of-tiktok-right-wing-media/ 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/twitter-alternatives-bluesky-mastodon-threads/674859/ 

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/jubilee-debate-videos-pete-buttigieg-ben-shapiro-1236199829/ 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hate-watch 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-psychology-behind-why-we-hate-watch_l_61bcecede4b04b42ab5fa761 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/93akvp/why-hate-watching-tv-movie-social-media-explained-psychology 

https://www.garbageday.email/p/full-stack-trumpism 

https://www.contemporarypsychology.com.au/anger-is-this-a-desire-for-change/#:~:text=This%20is%20because%20anger%20is,us%20to%20want%20to%20engage. 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200723-how-anger-can-be-put-to-good-use