Am I a Contradiction?
I was quite critical toward influencer culture in my latest post regarding the fictional novel People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd.
The book follows an influencer mother who shapes her life, and the lives of those around her, for the sake of content. It is a timely and unsettling read.
I discussed the ethics and pitfalls of her behaviour- including her deceptive product promotion tactics- then at the end of my post, I included the following paragraph:
“This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend books and tools that I truly love.“
Welp.
This is awkward.
Can You Be an Ethical Content Creator?
Affiliate links aren’t inherently unethical, especially if they are accompanied with a disclaimer. In fact, that disclaimer hopefully demonstrates transparency and builds trust.
What can be unethical is the tactics associated with using affiliate links:
- pretending to “need” a product
- inventing a storyline to justify recommending something
- misusing trust for personal gain
- shaping your personal or brand identity around what sells
I don’t want to do any of that. But I do want to write, build a community, and share books that genuinely shape me.
I also want to help authors promote their books because I feel books are incredibly valuable to society. I want to lend my voice to literature and learning in any way that I can. And I believe that both author and marketer should be duly financially rewarded for their contributions.
So how do I maintain my values within a system that encourages me to do otherwise?
A System You Participate in, Not Surrender To
Creating online today requires navigating contradictions in an ever-shifting landscape.
Even people who “hate” the system will have to interact with it in some ways. You can resist the algorithm, but the algorithm won’t resist you. It will just bury your work under thousands of unboxing videos.
So maybe the modern goal isn’t creative or moral purity- maybe it’s honesty.
To say openly:
- I am trying to make thoughtful things without manipulating anyone to pay attention to it.
- I use some tools of the attention economy, but don’t want them to use me.
For me, I will try to make the awkwardness part of the story. I think that is one way of getting the upper hand- you don’t lose yourself to the system and you create content out of critiquing it. Win-win.
There is no one “right” way to create ethically online today, but I think there are honest ways. Examining and adapting to these issues will require constant recalibration.
Messy Bun Book Lover
P.S.
And no, this post does not contain affiliate links.