Everything you listed are common sponsorships. I have never bought a YT sponsorship, so there’s no argument there. But affiliate links are more than just those sponsored posts. Amazon is a commonly used affiliate program. For example, someone might link to the tools they use and like. I watched a carpenter who linked to the tools he used, and it was also an affiliate program. He wasn’t paid by anyone to link them like a sponsorship, he was just sharing in his experience what tools he likes best. If I trust his judgement in tools, and want to buy the same ones, assuming camelcamelcamel shows it a good price and checking around doesn’t find it cheaper, why wouldn’t I want them to get a cut of that purchase?
Everything you listed are common sponsorships. I have never bought a YT sponsorship, so there’s no argument there. But affiliate links are more than just those sponsored posts. Amazon is a commonly used affiliate program. For example, someone might link to the tools they use and like. I watched a carpenter who linked to the tools he used, and it was also an affiliate program. He wasn’t paid by anyone to link them like a sponsorship, he was just sharing in his experience what tools he likes best. If I trust his judgement in tools, and want to buy the same ones, assuming camelcamelcamel shows it a good price and checking around doesn’t find it cheaper, why wouldn’t I want them to get a cut of that purchase?