Volume 6, July 2019 ISSN 2581-5504 www.penacclaims.com Page 1 “Digital Frailty: Proliferation of Clickbait, Beguiled Readers, and Questioning the Morality of Online Journalism” Chaitanya Shinkhede Research Assistant, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, PAH Solapur University, Solapur, Maharashtra Abstract This decade has seen the elevation in the number of internet users and the rise of online media platforms and the cyber ecosystem. We are witnessing a significant transformation in terms of society, culture, and media. As social media and cyberspaces reaching out the new inventions and connecting the missing dots, fraudulent practices are also on the rise. The use of falsified hyperlinks and thumbnails to lure users into the web of deception has been proliferating. Often regarded as "clickbait," the practice is a becoming a severe concern even for the mainstream media as it is frequently used by leading online portals and news aggregators, putting journalistic ethics on the ledge. The practice initiated with the commercial purpose, often, end up accumulating personal information from users, spreading junk content over the internet, and manufacturing nuisance. Understanding the concept of clickbait has been a challenge itself - hence, this study attempts to comprehend the domain and rationale. Also, it investigates the roots of clickbait and its presence in Indian online news media. Further, it attempts to recognize the victims of clickbait and enquire their vulnerability and perception. Keywords: Clickbait, Headlines, Social Media, Online Advertising, Fraudulent hyperlinks, Thumbnails, Advertising, Promoted Content. Introduction In recent years, the advent of social media rapidly changed the course of the human operations, impacted the landscape of communication, and introduced unprecedented situations. It can be a partial statement to only include social media in this metamorphosis, as the remaining forms of online media have been playing a vital part in the process. Certainly, the discourse generated applause as well as concern in the elites, maybe because the power online platforms possess to alter the offline world. As we are diving far into virtual reality, we are concomitantly changing the pace of our social intercourse. The discussion often initiates the question whether the social media or internet or as a matter of fact, the technology has made journalism worse or better? As research on the untouched topics flourishes, the answer to this question can be unmasked. The ICUBE 2018 report published by the market research company Kantar IMRB states that the number of internet users in India registered an annual growth of 18 percent and is estimated at 566 million as of December 2018. It also estimated that by the end of 2019, the number of internet users would reach 627 million. This statistic not only indicates the increasing number of internet users but the growth of online advertising and digital