Bonnie thinks all men should cheat on their wives. Before you get angry, read this.

A new wave of influencers, who create content specifically designed to get under our skin or incite rage, are dominating our For You pages. 

Have you ever felt so incensed by an influencer mispronouncing an obvious word that you've let them know about it in their comment section?

Or felt compelled to let a creator know that the order they apply their skincare is wrong?

Chances are, you've played right into the hands of a 'rage-baiter' and given them the one thing they desire, engagement. 

Rage baiting is a manipulative tactic influencers use to elicit outrage with the goal of increasing engagement and ultimately gaining more followers. It can be as simple as purposely misspelling a word, mispronouncing a name, or performing an everyday task in the wrong way.

The genius of this relatively new marketing tactic is that these manufactured mishaps or controversies generate mass engagement. With TikTok's algorithm now rewarding comments and send-ons, rage-baiting is the most effective way to go viral.

Case in point, a recent bold declaration from Only Fans content creator Bonnie Blue. 

Blue has previously been in the news after she and two fellow female creators revealed their plans to film X-rated videos with teenagers during Schoolies. Now, she's gone viral again for boldly suggesting that 'all men should cheat on their wives'.

She appeared on Kyle and Jackie O's radio show, arguing that men only cheat because their wives and girlfriends who don't have sex with them enough or don't offer variety in the bedroom.

Is it an example of rage bait? Yes, according to many irked listeners, as well as Jackie O.

@kyleandjackieo 🫣 Jackie strongly disagreed with adult star Bonnie Blue’s viral claims that all men should cheat unless their partners are “treating them” every day #KJshow ♬ original sound - Kyle & Jackie O

"I just think that one day you're going to regret this. We need our girlfriends. We need women," Jackie O said in response. "How would you feel if one of [your friends] got cheated on and her heart got broken and she's ruined from that for years?"

Blue replied: "Her problems aren't my problems. They should be listening to my advice now saying go home and put some nice underwear on."

The internet also recently received a masterclass in rage baiting when a TikToker who goes by the handle, Shay.nanigans87 claimed she charged another mum $15 for her kid to attend a playdate. 

Shay told TikTok, "So, recently my daughter had a friend over and I asked her mum for money and this is how it went."

She went on to share a screenshot of their alleged texts, showing she requested $15 in order to continue carrying out 'expensive' playdates.

@shay.nanigans87

Contraversial but I think it’s a really good idea. What do you think?

♬ original sound - Shay.nanigans87

Followers were left in disbelief when Shay provided the other mother with a list of outrageous expenses.

The most ludicrous on the list was a $1 charge for wear and tear to the family's couch after the daughter's friend dared to sit on it.

On top of that was $3 for the child's three trips to the bathroom, $5 for the repair of a doll and further expenses for chalk, applesauce, fruit and yoghurt. 

As expected, the post elicited a huge response with parents outraged by the charges. 

One user wrote, "$1 for sitting on the couch is outrageous," whilst another commented, "Just don't do playdates if it’s not in your budget."

This video went viral, attracting over four million views and more than 34 thousand comments and 77 thousand send ons.

Shay returned to TikTok shortly after to explain she’d executed a masterclass in rage baiting and made the story up to gain followers.

The TikToker incensed her followers further by revealing she created a Venmo app for the imaginary playdate mum and had received over $500 from concerned followers. 

Shay explained, "Because I charged $15 for the play date so many people are sending her money."

"What if, and I'm just saying what if, that is a fake account that I set up in a different name that goes to my Venmo account. I'm dead. A lesson in rage bait. A lesson in freakin rage bait. Guys you have to figure out how to make money off it and this worked chef's kiss."

@shay.nanigans87 Replying to @Missy Richards #ragebait #chargingforplaydates #playdates #moreviews ♬ original sound - Shay.nanigans87

Shay is just one of many influencers staging interactions or manufactured mishaps to spark debate in the comment section. 

TikToker Ryan Gawlik is a self-confessed rage-baiter, who purposely makes idiotic mistakes in his videos in a bid to enrage his audience. 

Ironically Ryan was discovered after a genuine mistake went viral, but decided to keep the momentum going creating a video of him purposely calling a celebrity the wrong name and biting into a KitKat in a bizarre way. 

Whilst New York model, Winta Zesu is close to notching up 700 thousand followers on TikTok, after her awkward interactions with waiters went viral.

A video of the 22-year-old persistently asking for a brunch menu despite being told by the waiter it was no longer brunch service, attracted 13 million views.

Whilst the TikToker openly admits the videos are fake and that she's playing a character, her content is being fed to new followers who aren't in on the joke. This leads to her skits often getting lost in translation and resulting in public outcry. 

Watch: Things People Never Say At Kids' Parties. Post continues below.

Brands are also getting in on the action, utilising the power of rage-baiting in their marketing campaigns in a bid to get noticed. 

There's been reports of brands instructing influencers to make deliberate mistakes when putting on skin care or makeup products, in an effort to get people talking and raise the brand's profile. 

Whilst TikTok's algorithm rewards creators for stirring the pot and incensing their audience, it does come at a cost.

TikTok's comment section can be a scary place at the best of times, but particularly when you're poking the bear.  

The worst of humankind comes out to play and you have to have a pretty thick skin if you're going to incorporate rage-baiting into your online strategy.

The key is using rage-baiting as a hook to get discovered and entice followers to stick around for the worthwhile content you create. There is the risk though of undermining your audience by playing dumb too often and ruining that genuine connection. Rage-baiting must be used with caution. 

This article was originally published on August 5 2024, and has since been updated.

Feature Image: Tiktok @kyleandjackieo / Instagram @bonnie_blue_xox.