Something for the weekend - as 'rage bait' is declared word of year, how can we inoculate ourselves?

The Official Oxford Word of the Year 2025 is rage bait:

Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content.

Surprisingly, I had never clocked the term before this week, and it seemed like a relief to find a short label for the growing sense of frustration and resignation I have been experiencing more frequently. Maybe if we could sequence the DNA of this mind virus, we could inoculate ourselves against it. The anti-vaxxers are sure to have a field day with this suggestion. Welcome to the game of rage baiting.

Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, confirms my suspicions:

As technology and artificial intelligence become ever more embedded into our daily lives—from deepfake celebrities and AI-generated influencers to virtual companions and dating platforms—there’s ...