For the most part, though, the ensemble’s work feels urgent and in the moment, and that matters for a series like this. Ultimately, “Clickbait” doesn’t say anything singular about the anonymity of the Internet, and it flirts with a lot of big ideas it doesn’t pursue as vigorously as it could have. ... But a show that went down those roads wouldn’t have been “Clickbait,” and also probably wouldn’t have been this silly or low-brow entertaining.

Clickbait is, by its very definition, deceptive, misleading and prone to leaving you feeling slightly cheated. Yet overall, this modestly diverting whodunit manages to sustain, as well as draw, your attention without insulting your intelligence.

Clickbait wants to send powerful messages about the dangers of social media in the digital age, but the hackneyed writing and unfathomable reveals can’t save the show from the irony of being nothing more than an intriguing title.

“Clickbait” has a suitably noir-ish look and a few neat wrinkles, but far too often, we branch out and fall down too many different rabbit holes. ... The cast turns in solid work and we appreciate the ambition and scope and timeliness of the subject matter, but the payoff is delivered off in currency that’s pure counterfeit.

The show’s problems start with the fact that, well, it’s doing this over eight 45-ish-minute episodes. ... It’s not so incompetent as to be dismissed as total trash, but nor is it interesting enough to embrace as a hidden gem. It’s just kind of there, waiting for someone to find its title provocative enough to give it a click.

“Clickbait” starts to stretch credulity in chapter two and then just keeps digging deeper and deeper into its own silly hole. Again, the structure amplifies this sense because characters come and go in service of the gimmick, which further highlights the thinness of the entire project. None of them feel three-dimensional, and the mystery is too dumb to make up for the lack of depth.

This is yet another series that wants to be taken seriously thanks to the trappings of prestige drama, but gives us nothing but dreck. And yet, it’s too boring and offensive to be camp, either. I wish it could be the kind of Lifetime movie-level story that one could cuddle up and cackle along with; instead it’s deeply miscalculated in its delusions of grandeur.