In a time not long after dinosaurs went extinct shortly before the innovation of smart fridges, being a provocative jerk on the internet was rightly frowned upon as a negative character trait and nothing more. Beginning at the turn of the decade, it became a career worthy of a six-figure salary; thus was born the job of “ragebaiter.”
Subgenres of the influencer like political pundits are making millions on other people’s anger. For example, conservative speakers like Ben Shapiro or the late Charlie Kirk built multi-media empires by posting explicitly controversial talking points on the internet, which would then be clipped by opponents to be rebutted, inadvertently spreading their faces to more opponents to be clipped again. To give an idea of how that loop pays out, Kirk’s estate holds over five million dollars in property, including two large properties in Arizona and a condominium in Florida.
While ragebaiters are profiting, all viewers get is a cocktail of troubles. A 2010 study summarizes some of the most dangerous side effects of persistent anger, ranging from cardiovascular conditions caused by constant irritations of the sympathetic nervous system, to long-term diet-related issues like Bulimia and Type 2 Diabetes. It’s safe to say that getting ragebaited isn’t very good for internet users. Thankfully, there is a simple method to resist the urge to take the bait: be a conscious scroller.
Early into a social media account’s life, algorithm results can shift rapidly due to having a small pool of previous which time information. Watching one bait video usually prompts tons of recommendations for similar content immediately after. A few poorly-chosen clips later and you may be stuck with ragebait in your feed for months.
Avoiding this effect requires constant attentiveness: always be asking yourself what it is you want to see online, and consider every post before you engage: There’s a lot of power in thinking twice. Most apps usually have some variation of a block button to weed out specific harmful creators, and some like the previously mentioned Youtube, Instagram and TikTok have a “not interested” choice in every post’s options menu. Get familiar with these resources, because they are one of the only ways to communicate with the A.I. behind the curtain about what you want it to show you.
Social media’s omnipresence in society makes it feel like an extension to one’s life, but it really isn’t. Ragebait is just one example of the many real risks that lazily swiping can cause, which makes being a conscious scroller a key skill in navigating the present social climate.
