How to Spot ‘Rage Bait’: The Social Media Trick Meant to Spark Strong Emotional Reactions
By Jenna Fanelli,
23 days ago
Have you ever read or heard about a story that went viral on social media that somehow seemed hard to believe? Maybe the situation was totally far-fetched, the details didn’t quite line up, or the story seemed to be intentionally crafted to incite super intense responses and opinions. While no social media platform is immune to this, Reddit is particularly prone to what’s referred to as “rage bait.”
There’s even a subreddit page titled “ragebait” specifically dedicated to “bad articles intended to enrage people.” It’s a tactic used to gain attention and essentially elicit negative or angry reactions in some way, and it’s believed that some users will even go to the extent of fabricating stories for this purpose.
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Examples of potential rage bait
One recent example of a social media post thought to be rage bait is a viral Reddit thread posing the question: is it wrong to sue a family member because they ruined a pair of hearing aids? The person who started the thread shared a story stating that their cousin pushed them into the pool at a family party unprovoked, ultimately ruining the original poster’s hearing aids.
The devices cost $6,000, the person wrote, and their cousin refused to provide compensation to replace or repair them. After two rounds in housing court, they said, the cousin began having 20 percent of their wages garnished, forcing them to drop out of college to work more and support their partner and baby.
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The kicker: the person who began the thread stated that their entire family is siding with the cousin, and is “fuming” at them for making him pay for the hearing aids.
Of course, the post was met with an overwhelming amount of responses affirming that the original poster was not at all in the wrong, and that their cousin brought the situation upon himself.
However, some comments also questioned the feasibility of the story. To start, one person noted that most hearing aids are water resistant at least to the extent that a quick dunk in a pool would not render them broken.
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“I’ve seen many hearing aids go through an entire wash cycle in high heat commercial washers and be fine after a couple days of sitting to dry, and none of those were anywhere near the quality that $6,000 gets you,” they wrote.
“So at the end of the day we’re expected to believe that a couple seconds in contact with water were enough to destroy these aids that are at the high end of typical cost, then that this person chose to ignore the warranty entirely and pay out of pocket, which is the only way she would have damages to collect in court, and then that the other party made no effort at all to minimize the damage to their life, choosing to default and drop out of school instead of simply presenting the court with evidence of hardship and decreasing the garnishment percentage.”
Similarly, another commenter who said they work in the hearing aid industry, pointed out that most if not all audiology equipment centers have three or five year warranties on hearing aids, including for accidental water exposure.
How to spot and avoid rage bait
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There’s no surefire way to discern rage bait or be certain about how factual a social media post is, but a few things to look out for include exaggerated titles aimed at provoking strong emotions; bold claims without credible sources and evidence; emotional or charged language that elicits anger; polarizing topics framed as “us vs. them”; headlines designed just to grab attention; and misrepresented quotes or images, shares Robyne Hanley Dafoe, PhD .
To avoid having an immediate emotional reaction to rage bait, reduce time on social platforms known for sensationalism or avoid them all together, she suggests. Before you share or comment on something, try to reflect on your motivation and what you’re hoping to achieve, she says.
And finally, don’t scroll online when you feel like you’re in a state where it feels difficult to manage your emotions and reactions.
“Take your mood for a walk instead,” she offers. “Nature is quite rage-bait free!”
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