New Delhi, Feb. 25 -- Emerging media platforms and traditional moral values never make for good bedfellows. The controversy that erupted over online influencer and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, his curiously named company BeerBiceps and some of his fellow travellers has consumed India's content devouring population, evoking strong emotions and extreme views online.

Allahbadia's soaring popularity came crashing down earlier this month when, as a judge on an online talent show, he indulged in a now-familiar trope: insulting and demeaning participants, all in the hope of getting a laugh from his audience.

This is common on reality shows: profanities and slurs hurled in the name of humour. These barbs are mostly harmless, occasionally sting...