Affiliate marketing Influencer or … patoinfluencer?
The Internet, although it is one of the greatest achievements of modern times, is not free from inappropriate behavior and numerous threats. We are talking about pathology, which is present especially in social media. However, as it turns out, it can also be used to… promotions, which are eagerly used by some Internet users, including the so-called pathoinfluencers. Who are they, how do they gain reach and is it a good way to appear in the digital world?
Pathology on the Internet
To begin with, it is worth explaining what pathology on the Internet is. It is a set of negative, harmful or unethical phenomena and content that appear on the web and have a bad impact – both on individuals and entire communities. It includes all activities that violate social norms, and sometimes even the law, and lead to psychological, cultural and financial damage. The most common pathologies on the Internet include cyberbullying (hate and stalking), dissemination of fake news, illegal content, emotional manipulation (grooming and online fraud), as well as the spread of hate speech and discrimination.
This phenomenon has several characteristics, which include:
- anonymity – people who decide to engage in pathological activities often hide their identity, although this is not a rule;
- global reach – negative phenomena can spread very quickly and reach a large number of people;
- violation of norms – actions of this type violate social and moral norms, and sometimes also legal regulations;
- lack of direct consequences – often the lack of reaction to negative behaviors encourages further pathological actions.
Unfortunately, pathology on the Internet is becoming more and more widespread and sometimes it is even used to gain popularity and… making money.
Pato-influencer… So who?
Influencers have gained a lot of publicity in recent years and are increasingly invited to cooperate with brands, enabling the effective implementation of influencer marketing strategies or affiliate marketing campaigns. However, in this extremely wide and still growing group, you can find individuals who spread pathology on the Internet. They are commonly called pathoinfluencers – these are people who gain popularity on the Internet by promoting content and behaviors contrary to social, ethical and moral norms. They often use controversial and shocking content and show harmful activities to attract attention and build their visibility on the Internet.
Pathoinfluencers often promote violence, drugs and inappropriate behavior, direct offensive comments towards other users or entire communities, and focus on sensation and publicity. Unlike ordinary influencers, they do not provide valuable information, and their content is focused on arousing emotions – most often negative ones.
How to recognize a pathoinfluencer?
- Communication style – such people use vulgar language, spread hate speech, promote negative patterns and often emanate aggression.
- Content – A pathoinfluencer focuses on scandals, provocations, and conflicts, and their posts or videos often deal with violence or destructive actions (e.g., drinking alcohol or using drugs).
- Motivations – the basic tool of an influencer to increase reach and income is to cause controversy around themselves.
- The audience – pathoinfluencer usually gathers young people who are susceptible to influence and find inappropriate behavior attractive.
- Community reaction – most pathoinfluencers cause heated debates and create clear divisions among viewers (some love them, others strongly criticize them).
The effects of pathoinfluencers’ actions can be very negative – primarily because they have a negative impact on young people, creating negative behavior patterns and downplaying ethical and social norms. Moreover, they lower the standards of communication and online interaction, as well as normalize destructive behaviors such as violence or addiction.
The “art” of acquiring reach
As it turns out, however, pathoinfluencers – through the above-mentioned behaviors – can effectively gain reach. Unlike other online personalities who rely on high-quality content and specialization, they use the following to gain popularity:
- provocations and controversies, e.g. deliberately causing scandals or conflicts;
- Content that polarizes audiences, such as aggressive and violent content
- clickbaits and attention-grabbing titles that are often over-the-top or misleading;
- Disputes with other influencers or celebrities that arouse the curiosity of viewers and the media.
- private life and intimate details, e.g. to arouse sensation or sympathy;
- manipulation, which consists in building a false image;
- pranks and jokes that may be humiliating or dangerous to others;
- profanity to stand out in the crowd and emphasize their “authenticity”.
All this gives pathoinfluencers publicity that they definitely do not deserve and which can have many unpleasant consequences.
Reach and advertising
Unfortunately, such actions of pathoinfluencers – although they should be stigmatized – can generate considerable earnings. Although they are not usually involved in influencer marketing or affiliate marketing activities (most companies and respected affiliate agencies avoid them), they can raise funds in a different way.
We are talking primarily about monetization – pathoinfluencers can earn money through ads in YouTube videos or views on TikTok and Instagram. What’s more, they very often raise funds from fans, in the form of so-called “donations” – especially in live programs, where they encourage their viewers to donate money. There is also no shortage of people who, taking advantage of their great popularity, sell their own products, e.g. in the form of T-shirts or gadgets signed with their image or well-known slogans.
However, it is worth remembering that although the earnings of patho-influencers can be very high, their popularity is usually short-term. This is mainly due to the fatigue of the audience, who after some time are fed up with constant scandals. A significant obstacle in the career of pathoinfluencers are also brands and affiliate agencies that bypass them (including Onaffiliate), for which cooperation with such people can be extremely risky and counterproductive.
To sum up, the activity of pathoinfluencers is socially harmful and therefore their behavior is increasingly stigmatized. Therefore, if you want to gain popularity on the Internet and earn a lot of money, it is not worth going down this path – it is much better to build a credible personal brand based on valuable content and specialization. This will help you establish long-term relationships with brands and start cooperation, e.g. with the Onaffiliate agency. Affiliation can prove to be the key to success in the digital world – without causing scandals and promoting inappropriate behavior.
