Online creators are creating “ragebait” content, a form of content that is specifically designed to elicit an angry reaction, at high rates. This form of content is designed to manipulate viewers into interacting with the content. Primary ways that consumers interact with these social media posts are commenting hate comments and sharing with friends.
The quest for internet fame will continue to be ongoing, and ragebait is just the next trend that influencers are hopping on. The effectiveness of ragebait stems from the human nature of being more passionately involved with emotions of anger, rather than emotions of joy. People naturally will comment negative things on posts that they do not agree with. This engagement can be profitable for the creator, giving them incentive to continue to post ‘ragebait’ content.
Ragebait is just a new way of garnering engagement in online spaces. Clickbait, or content that is designed to get users to click on it, is another internet practice that has been around for years. Clickbait relied on outrageous titles or thumbnails that would spark a viewers’ interest, even if the title or thumbnail contained falsehoods or misinformation.
Another common internet behavior that resembles ragebait is ‘trolling’. Trolling is defined by esafety.gov.au as “when someone deliberately tries to upset others online”. While trolling is often malicious in intent, ragebait usually has a financial incentive as the primary purpose for posting.
The Beabadoobee incident
A major example of someone ‘falling for ragebait’ was the recent incident with popular singer Beabadoobee. A ragebait video was posted that detailed a comparison between someone who could sing, and someone who could not. Beabadoobee was listed as the individual who was a bad singer, and rapper NBA Youngboy was listed as the good singer, however his vocals were dubbed with opera vocals.
After analysis, this video is obviously ironic and meant to enrage Beabadoobee fans. NBA Youngboy is known for his rough vocals, whilst Beabadoobee is a renowned vocalist. Unfortunately, Beabadoobee responded to the ‘hate’ that she was receiving as people were commenting ironically on her posts, referencing the video. She responded by insulting her fanbase and the people commenting.
This response resulted in an uproar of people both offended at her response as well as laughing at the hilarity of a large musician getting upset at a video of a man with lasers coming out of his eyes. Many went as far as to say that she ruined her career with her distasteful response.
Content consumption
With an uptick in AI content, ironic posting, satire and ragebait content, users of social media have to be diligent when consuming media. Senior Reid Olinger said, “Ragebait has made me more aware of the possibility of the content being satirical, so I take everything with a grain of salt.”
Consumers have a responsibility to be able to dissect content and read subtext in order to comprehend pieces of content. Responsible consumption is incredibly important in the digital age. The age old phrase “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet” rings true.
