Rage Bait

Today, I will go a bit off topic. I believe this is an important topic to consider when utilizing social media and other internet tools. This morning I listened to a podcast by Youtuber Dasia Sade addressing how corporate media purposely frames messages in a negative or offensive way to profit from the anger of those who consume content. "Rage Content" also known as "Rage Baiting" is a tactic journalists and media creators use to attract attention to their content. In the book "The Rhetoric of Outrage: Why Social Media is Making Us Angry", the author notes that Forbes Journalist, Helen Popkins wrote, "Anger is the most viral emotion on the Internet". When a person sees something that outrages them, they are very likely to share it with others. That anger and offense is likely to stay with them throughout their day. Social media, particularly Facebook, are major vehicles in the distribution of rage bait. Social media platforms and news sources don't always vet or disclose all of the details of a situation when utilizing this tactic. Quite often, they will create an outrageous or deciving titles and headlines - quite often with a negatively suggestive photo to attract attention. Many people stop here and come to their own conclusion regarding the situtation and fail to read the full article for details. In many cases, the article is either vague with inconclusive details or is completely opposite to what the title and photo suggest. The person is decieved and misinformed about the situation in question. Another risk to this practice is this; it often perpetuates stereotypes. Some common stereotypes in recent years include: People who are politically conservative are racists. Liberals are overly sensitive 'snowflakes'. Black people are criminals. Middle Eastern and Hispanics are terrorists. Millenials and Gen Z are lazy and refuse to work. All of these stereotypes are not at all true 100% of the time, yet these are the types of narratives rage bait uses to attract attention. Combine these messages with the algorithms of social media- especially Facebook, the messages become amplified. Social media selects the content seen based on the individual's viewing and engagement patterns. If a person views or comments on a post that utilizes negative language about a particular group, they will see more of that kind of post. The system has then identified that kind of post will keep the person coming back to the platform. Therefore, the more the person sees and thinks that message, the more they believe it. That is how stereotypes and prejudices are continued. To break this cycle, it is important that people do not react to rage bait articles and to fact-check them. Find credible journals and news sources that and have a neutral bias. These will be the most reliable and factual than politically scewed sources. Dasia Sade pointed out that biased news sources often have blind spots. There are important news and events they will not acknowlegde because it does not fit their narrative. So, if you consume content from onlky one source, you will not get the full story. To be a well-informed people, we need to learn how to identify rage bait and stop reacting and sharing it. We need to look at it with a very crtical eye and to determine if this is the truth or if the writer is trying to manipulate the reader and their emotions.