Technologies

Oxford’s New Word of the Year? It’s Designed to Bait, Debate and Irritate

Firstly, it’s not just one word. It’s also an unpleasant aspect of our digital life today.

In a move reflecting the darker side of the social-media era, Oxford University Press has named «rage bait» as its 2025 Word of the Year. (It’s actually two words, but don’t let that send you into a rage.) The phrase refers to online content deliberately designed to provoke anger or outrage by being provocative, offensive or otherwise manipulative, with the explicit aim of boosting engagement, clicks or shares.

According to Oxford University Press, usage of rage bait has roughly tripled over the past year. In announcing the choice, the organization noted that this surge isn’t just a change in vocabulary. It points to a larger shift in how online platforms and content creators capture attention, often by exploiting emotional triggers rather than curiosity or honest interest.

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said that this trend marks a progression from earlier waves of click-driven sensationalism toward a more emotionally manipulative digital environment — one where outrage, not intrigue, is the currency that pays.
«Rage bait shines a light on the content purposefully engineered to spark outrage and drive clicks,» Grathwohl said. «And together, they form a powerful cycle where outrage sparks engagement, algorithms amplify it, and constant exposure leaves us mentally exhausted. These words don’t just define trends; they reveal how digital platforms are reshaping our thinking and behaviour.»

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2025’s other big words include ‘parasocial’ and ’67’

Rage bait isn’t the only word or phrase gaining recognition this year. Two other major dictionaries have picked their own Words of the Year, each illuminating a different facet of our cultural moment.

The Cambridge Dictionary named «parasocial» as its 2025 Word of the Year, capturing the growing phenomenon of one-sided relationships people form with celebrities, influencers, fictional characters — and now, increasingly, with AI personalities. The word reflects how many of us now treat virtual or distant figures as if they were friends, despite knowing that the connection is unreciprocated.
Dictionary.com selected «67» as its Word of the Year. Pronounced «six-seven,» this term is a slang expression that’s playful, ambiguous and rooted in meme culture. While 67 might not carry a dictionary-style definition, its rise points to how younger generations express attitudes of indifference, irony or insider-like humor in the digital age.

A quick look back at some past Words of the Year

To understand what 2025’s picks reveal about our time, it helps to glance at some past winners, which show how language shifts in response to social moods, technology and world events.

In 2024, Oxford’s Word of the Year was «brain rot,» a phrase meant to capture the mental fatigue, dissatisfaction, or dulling sensation people feel after endless scrolling through trivial or low-quality online content.
2023’s winner was «rizz,» a slang term for charisma or personal charm.
In 2022, the winning phrase was «goblin mode,» reflecting a mood of laziness, self-indulgence, or rejecting social expectations — especially as the world grappled with pandemic aftershocks.

Earlier years show a variety of themes. 2019’s climate emergency stood out as concern over global warming surged. In 2016, «post-truth» became the word, capturing a time of political upheaval, misinformation and shifting trust in facts.

Technologies

Tubi App Goes Live in ChatGPT to Give You TV and Movie Recommendations

Like the ultra-customized feel of a Tubi rec? The streamer aims to make it even more personalized.

Tubi, the free streaming platform known for its vast library of cult classics and indie movies, has added an app to ChatGPT. You can now use the chatbot to find content recommendations for TV shows and movies on Tubi, the streamer announced on Tuesday.

You may already have your own search strategy when using Tubi, but the addition of the native app within ChatGPT allows you to strike up a conversation and ask for uber-specific, personalized title suggestions. If you see a film or show that captures your interest, you have the option to click «Watch on Tubi» to stream it on a mobile device or the web. In the mood for scary movies about yetis? Use @Tubi for your prompt in the chatbot and request something like, «horror movies with aggressive yetis» and expect to see a selection of titles that fit your wish list.

«Streaming should feel effortless, and as chatbots and AI agents are becoming a common way people navigate the internet, Tubi is expanding its discovery experience to meet viewers in the moment they’re expressing intent in their own words,» Mike Bidgoli, Tubi’s chief of product and technology, said in a statement.

ChatGPT opened its app store this past December. It currently includes apps for Apple Music, Zillow, Spotify and Canva, offering the ability to connect your accounts to search, design or ask for recommendations. Back in 2023, Tubi created its own AI-powered tool called Rabbit AI for mobile users to help audiences find content to watch. The company later shuttered the feature, which used Open AI’s Chat GPT-4. With today’s launch, it’s the first video streaming service to add an app within ChatGPT.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Technologies

PlayStation Plus Subscribers Can Play Tomb Raider and More All April Long

Subscribers can also explore a Soulslike game that just got a big update.

PlayStation Plus, which is Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass, offers a large, constantly expanding library of games. Subscribers can choose from the Essential, Extra and Premium tiers, each with unique perks and benefits. Starting at $10 a month, the plans give subscribers access to games and rewards, and each month, all subscribers can play a handful of new games at no additional charge. And some people on Reddit are pretty excited for a few of the games Sony is offering subscribers throughout April.

One user wrote how they are «buzzing» for the remastered Tom Raider games, while another user is willing to replay the Soulslike game Lords of the Fallen. «April fools’ joke? Because they’re actually good,» a third user wrote.

If you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can play these games now until May 4.

Lords of the Fallen

If you played Elden Ring and thought, «I wish this game had even more grimdark elements to it, like Bloodborne,» Lords of the Fallen might be for you. Choose one of nine classes to play as while you traverse the lands of the living and the dead in order to overthrow the demon god Adyr. You’ll fight all manner of monstrosities along the way, like a colossal humanoid with an arm protruding from its mouth or a giant carrion crow that wears a human skull.

HexWorks, the gaming studio behind Lords of the Fallen, also released a patch for the game on April 3. The patch is intended to make co-op sessions feel more rewarding for hosts and guests, so you and your friends should have even more fun in this game.

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered

Experience these classic Tomb Raider games from the 90s all over again — or for the first time — with the remastered trilogy. You’ll explore jungles, solve puzzles in the desert and tackle mercenaries and monsters along the way. While you can enjoy the boosted graphics of the remastered edition, you can also enable low-poly mode to experience these games as you would have almost 30 years ago.

Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream

A system called Galaxia has been added to Alfheim Online, allowing players to relive the past. But the system has spun out of control, displacing players throughout time. To set things right, you’ll have to work with friends and foes alike in this co-op raid battle game. But if you want to go solo, you can play story mode as characters from across space and time confront the anomaly in the VR world.

For more on PlayStation Plus, here’s what to know about the service. You can also check out other games on PlayStation Plus and games on Xbox Game Pass.

Technologies

Get Organized for Just $28 With This 6-in-1 Baseus Charging Station Deal

Ditch the cluttered cables and upgrade to this sleek USB power strip while it’s on sale for a record-low price.

For just $28, this six-in-one Baseus charging station can help you keep your desk organized. That’s 20% off and the all-time lowest price we’ve seen for this 120-watt USB power strip. We don’t expect this limited-time deal to last for long, however, so you’ll want to get your order in sooner rather than later.

You can use this charging station for just about all of your devices, including phones, tablets, headphones and laptops. It’s equipped with four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, so you can charge up to six devices at once. It also boasts a 65-watt single-port output, enough to fully recharge a MacBook Air in less than 2 hours. And at just 323 grams, it’s light enough to take on the go, making it a great buy for frequent travelers.

Why this deal matters

This sleek Baseus charging station can connect to up to six devices at once, and is still small enough that you can take it on the go. Plus, this is the all-time lowest price we’ve seen, making it a pretty great value.