What is rage-baiting and why is it profitable?

Winta Zesu, a 24-year-old content creator, has turned her social media presence into a profitable business by engaging in a practice known as rage-baiting. Last year, she earned an impressive $150,000 from her online activities. What sets Winta apart from other influencers is the nature of the interactions she receives. Many of the comments on her posts are fueled by anger. Winta explains, 'Every single video of mine that has gained millions of views is because of hate comments. ' In her videos, she portrays the life of a model living in New York City, where her biggest challenge seems to be her own beauty. However, what some viewers fail to realize is that Winta is merely playing a character. She often receives harsh comments such as 'you're not the prettiest girl' or 'please bring yourself down, you have too much confidence. ' Speaking to the BBC from her New York City apartment, Winta shares her experiences with the negative feedback she receives. Winta's TikTok videos are crafted to provoke strong emotions, particularly anger. She is part of a growing trend of online creators who produce 'rage bait' content, which aims to elicit visceral reactions from viewers. The objective is straightforward: create videos, memes, and posts that incite anger, leading to thousands or even millions of shares and likes. This approach differs from traditional clickbait, where enticing headlines are used to lure readers into clicking on a video or article. Marketing podcaster Andrea Jones highlights the distinction, stating, 'A hook reflects what's in that piece of content and comes from a place of trust, whereas rage-baiting content is designed to be manipulative. ' The psychological impact of negative content is significant, as Dr. William Brady, a researcher studying the brain's interaction with technology, explains. He notes, 'In our past, this is the kind of content that we really needed to pay attention to, so we have these biases built into our learning and our attention. ' This means that when we encounter something that provokes anger, we are more likely to engage with it. Andrea Jones is on a mission to create a friendlier online environment. She points out that the rise of rage baiting coincides with social media platforms increasing their financial rewards for creators. These creator programs incentivize users based on likes, comments, and shares, as well as allowing them to post sponsored content. This has contributed to the surge in rage baiting. Andrea explains, 'If we see a cat, we're like 'oh, that's cute' and scroll on. But if we see someone doing something outrageous, we may type in the comments 'this is terrible,' and that sort of comment is seen as a higher quality engagement by the algorithm. ' The more content a user produces, the more engagement they receive, and consequently, the more money they can earn. Some creators are willing to go to great lengths to increase their views, even if it means provoking anger in their audience. Andrea expresses her concern, stating, 'It leads to disengagement. ' Rage bait content manifests in various forms, from outrageous food recipes to attacks on beloved celebrities. In a year marked by global elections, particularly in the United States, rage baiting has also infiltrated the political sphere. Dr. Brady observes, 'There has been a spike in the build-up to elections because it's an effective way to mobilize your political group to potentially vote and take action. ' He notes that the American election was characterized by a lack of policy discussions, focusing instead on outrage, with messages like 'Trump is horrible for this reason' or 'Harris is horrible for that reason.