The holidays are here. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas shopping. For many, this is a time for excitement and maybe a little overspending. For blogs and news sites, it’s something else entirely: an excuse to transform into digital flea markets.
Once, these platforms were places we turned to for insight, connection, and perspective. They were the storytellers of the internet, guiding us through the chaos of the modern world. Now, they feel more like those vendors at street bazaars, waving their arms and shouting, “Look at this! Buy that! Don’t miss this deal!”
What’s worse, it’s not just the tech blogs. It’s everyone. Lifestyle blogs, recipe sites, even the so-called bastions of journalism are joining the circus, turning their pages into crowded aisles of clickable “must-buy” deals. And every single one is shouting louder than the next, each claiming to have the best list of bargains.
Affiliate marketing is a gold mine during sales seasons. For every product sold through a well-placed link, there’s a tidy commission waiting on the other side. Multiply that by a thousand, and suddenly, your best Black Friday post becomes a jackpot. It’s no wonder every blog and news site is jumping in with both feet.
But the cost of this rush is subtle, and it’s not paid in dollars. It’s paid in trust.
When everything you read feels like a sales pitch, you stop believing. You wonder, Do they actually think this product is good, or are they just pushing it for a commission?
And the trust that publishers spend years building? It can vanish in the time it takes to read one too many “Best Deals” posts.
What they’re not looking for is to be treated like walking wallets.
When every article screams, “BUY! BUY! BUY!” it creates a sense of fatigue. Readers don’t want to sift through a hundred “deals” to find the one thing that’s actually worth their time. They’re tired of the noise, the relentless urgency, the feeling that these platforms are more interested in their credit card numbers than their trust.
The tragedy is that most readers don’t even leave angry. They leave numb. They stop caring. And when they stop caring, they stop clicking, stop visiting, stop being part of the community that publishers worked so hard to create.
But when every blog and news site turns into a shop, it chips away at that ideal. It turns the web into a crowded mall where everything is on sale, and nothing feels valuable. The unique voices that once made the internet so special start to fade into a dull, monotonous roar of discounts and promotions.
This isn’t just a problem for the readers. It’s a problem for the publishers, too. When you sell your authenticity, it’s almost impossible to buy it back.
That means slowing down during the sales frenzy. It means curating deals instead of overwhelming readers with every discount under the sun. It means being honest about intentions—if a post is full of affiliate links, say so. Readers respect transparency far more than they respect secrecy.
But more than anything, it means staying true to your voice. Readers come for the perspective, the humor, the insight. They don’t come for a never-ending carousel of products.
To the readers: You have power. Choose the sites that treat you like a human being, not a transaction. Support the blogs and news outlets that give you value, not just a sales pitch.
Because if we’re not careful, the internet will lose what makes it special. And no amount of affiliate revenue is worth that.
Let’s put the soul back into blogging. Let’s make the internet a place of ideas again, even during Black Friday. Especially during Black Friday.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Once, these platforms were places we turned to for insight, connection, and perspective. They were the storytellers of the internet, guiding us through the chaos of the modern world. Now, they feel more like those vendors at street bazaars, waving their arms and shouting, “Look at this! Buy that! Don’t miss this deal!”
What’s worse, it’s not just the tech blogs. It’s everyone. Lifestyle blogs, recipe sites, even the so-called bastions of journalism are joining the circus, turning their pages into crowded aisles of clickable “must-buy” deals. And every single one is shouting louder than the next, each claiming to have the best list of bargains.
The Anatomy of the Shift
Why does this happen? Money, of course. Money is a powerful motivator, and for many publishers, it’s getting harder and harder to come by. Traditional ad revenue isn’t what it used to be, and as more readers block ads or ignore them altogether, publishers have found new ways to pay the bills.Affiliate marketing is a gold mine during sales seasons. For every product sold through a well-placed link, there’s a tidy commission waiting on the other side. Multiply that by a thousand, and suddenly, your best Black Friday post becomes a jackpot. It’s no wonder every blog and news site is jumping in with both feet.
But the cost of this rush is subtle, and it’s not paid in dollars. It’s paid in trust.
When everything you read feels like a sales pitch, you stop believing. You wonder, Do they actually think this product is good, or are they just pushing it for a commission?
And the trust that publishers spend years building? It can vanish in the time it takes to read one too many “Best Deals” posts.
What Readers Think
It’s easy to forget about the audience in all of this. The people who come to blogs and news sites are looking for something. Sometimes it’s a solution to a problem. Other times, it’s entertainment or education or maybe just a break from the rest of the world.What they’re not looking for is to be treated like walking wallets.
When every article screams, “BUY! BUY! BUY!” it creates a sense of fatigue. Readers don’t want to sift through a hundred “deals” to find the one thing that’s actually worth their time. They’re tired of the noise, the relentless urgency, the feeling that these platforms are more interested in their credit card numbers than their trust.
The tragedy is that most readers don’t even leave angry. They leave numb. They stop caring. And when they stop caring, they stop clicking, stop visiting, stop being part of the community that publishers worked so hard to create.
The Bigger Problem
The internet wasn’t meant to be like this. At its best, it’s a space for ideas, connection, and exploration. It’s a place where people come together to create and share.But when every blog and news site turns into a shop, it chips away at that ideal. It turns the web into a crowded mall where everything is on sale, and nothing feels valuable. The unique voices that once made the internet so special start to fade into a dull, monotonous roar of discounts and promotions.
This isn’t just a problem for the readers. It’s a problem for the publishers, too. When you sell your authenticity, it’s almost impossible to buy it back.
A Way Forward
There’s a better way. It starts with remembering why these blogs and news sites existed in the first place: to serve their audience. Not to exploit them, but to help them, to connect with them, to provide something they can’t get anywhere else.That means slowing down during the sales frenzy. It means curating deals instead of overwhelming readers with every discount under the sun. It means being honest about intentions—if a post is full of affiliate links, say so. Readers respect transparency far more than they respect secrecy.
But more than anything, it means staying true to your voice. Readers come for the perspective, the humor, the insight. They don’t come for a never-ending carousel of products.
A Message for Everyone
To the publishers: The short-term gains of holiday deals aren’t worth the long-term cost of losing your audience. You can still be profitable without turning into a bargain bin. Focus on the readers, and they’ll reward you with their trust.To the readers: You have power. Choose the sites that treat you like a human being, not a transaction. Support the blogs and news outlets that give you value, not just a sales pitch.
Because if we’re not careful, the internet will lose what makes it special. And no amount of affiliate revenue is worth that.
Let’s put the soul back into blogging. Let’s make the internet a place of ideas again, even during Black Friday. Especially during Black Friday.
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