Rage bait is deliberately provocative content designed to lure social media users with anger. Attention spans are short, and a funnier video is just a scroll away. If a post really angers us, we're more likely to check the comments to offer advice, to reassure ourselves that we're not the only ones angry, or—if we suspect manipulation—at least to discuss whether it's genuine or not. The methods for generating anger are numerous, but the logic is always the same: to make people stunned by how clumsy, uneducated, or untalented someone is.
Ragebait is attractive because influencers get better advertising deals the higher their reach. However, this now applies to all other media sectors as well. Most of the money is no longer made from record sales and concert attendance, or DVD sales and cinema admissions, but rather from advertising deals.
The first widely discussed rage-bait accusations were leveled against the legal drama "All's Fair" starring Kim Kardashian. At the start of its season, the show received a 0% rating (one star) on Rotten Tomato, while on Hulu it became the most successful original scripted series of the past three years. How does that add up? The show received such incredibly poor reviews that it was hard to ignore. How could so much money, resources, and talent be invested in such a terrible product? Is the show so bad that it's good again? Or at least so fascinatingly bad that it's impossible to look away?
The same question was on the minds of both viewers and critics regarding Emerald Fennell's new film, an adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic "Wuthering Heights." The film provokes with its wild mix of costumes from all eras, uncomfortable sex scenes, and the omission of a central aspect of the story—racism. Those who storm out of the cinema in anger naturally then search for podcasts, video essays, and memes to confirm their suspicions: Yes, that really wasn't a good film.
We can expect that the success of All's Fair and Wuthering Heights will lead to an increase in the production of intentionally bad films and series, at least when it comes to big blockbuster productions. The primary goal here is to generate a lot of revenue. However, there is a glimmer of hope on the entertainment horizon: indie productions. My personal film recommendation: Lesbian Space Princess. Taking a trip to the cinema together afterward not only supports the local movie theater but also allows you to rave about it with friends instead of arguing with angry strangers online.
This article was published as part of the "Gastwirtschaft" column in the Frankfurter Rundschau.
