The Rage Economy – Journalism in the Age of AI and Rage Bait News is no longer just reported. It is engineered, multiplied, and monetized by algorithms that foster outrage and AI agents that blur the source of original reporting. "The Rage Economy" reveals how AI-generated content, “machine audiences” and human manipulation have reshaped the information ecosystem and why journalism, education, and society must respond together. Drawing on real-world examples from global newsrooms, elections, and conflict reporting, this talk explores: - how AI slop, deepfakes, and generated feeds are distorting reality, - why rage is a business model, - and where journalism still has leverage through verification, transparency, and trust. Hence, this is not a dystopian lecture. It’s a call to action. While newsrooms are already fighting an uphill battle using verification technologies, fact-checking tools, and smarter AI Forensics this global fight cannot be won by journalism alone. If young people are expected to navigate a world of synthetic media, misinformation, and emotional manipulation, Digital Media and Information Literacy must become a core skill taught in every school. This talk connects journalists, educators, and the public around shared goals: defending facts, fostering critical thinking, and rebuilding trust in an age of outrage-by-design.
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