On affiliate marketing and sponsorship - should I do it?

Hello everyone!

This has long been one of the most important topics on my mind. And I have been dying to cover it on my YouTube channel for ages. I have come to a believe that YouTube has corrupted the culture of content creation to the point of reproducing the worst aspects of mainstream TV networks. 

Most channels that you find today dedicate more than 50% of their screen time to making entire sponsor videos, sponsor segments or their videos have affiliate links with companies whose products they cover or review. This is almost always the case for VPN reviews, tech reviews, Linux channels, cryptocurrency channels, video essays, vlogs and commentaries.

On one hand I understand people need to eat and pay bills. Relying on YouTube ad revenue is a death sentence. And many small channels like mine don't attract enough audience support to generate sustainable and stable income. Most creators would not be doing YouTube full-time on my average monthly income (around $1,500 to $2,000/month BEFORE tax/social security/insurance). 

During the entire existence of my channel I have never taken any sponsorship. Even after I have been approached by many companies, I couldn't find an excuse to receive money from a company I want to be free to criticize. There are no sponsor segments or videos on my channel. All my content is 100% independent. 

For a few months in 2018/19, I have signed up for an affiliate link with NordVPN during the time I had about 8,000 subscribers and no income. After I couldn't stop making videos criticizing VPNs , I decided to cancel my affiliate contract and since then I haven't had any affiliate link at all.

None of this is to say I am a better person than someone that accepts money from sponsors or affiliates. But I do believe there is a corrupting influence of the incentive to make your audience want to click on the link in the description or "check out the sponsor of today's episode."

What I worry about the most is that I won't be able to continue working on my videos full time because they won't be generating enough revenue to keep the roof above my head. I keep my expenses as low as possible, cut my spending and try to live as frugally as I can. But there is a limit to how much you can save if you don't make enough income.

Your Patreon support is incredible invaluable. Without you, I would have to find a part-time job long time ago. Unfortunately, the Patreon income isn't growing with the inflation, and after Patreon cuts, taxes and social security, not much is left to pay the rent or to save up. 

This isn't to serve as a segment for self pity. But rather to inform you of my situation so that you are not taken by surprise if some things have to change in the future. And to ask for your feedback. How do you think we can best secure the future of this channel? Do you see a way for ethical affiliations or sponsorship? 

I personally don't see an ethical way to do sponsorship. But accepting affiliations can make sense if the companies fulfill certain criteria, ie. they are not tied to the topics that I cover, or they a registered public good organization with publicly facing owners and leadership members, their products are created ethically with privacy, user rights, workers rights, security and environmental protection in mind.

For example, affiliating with a company that makes ethical clothing or wearable accessories is not going to have a corrupting influence on my channel for as long as the company remains ethical and their products aren't related to the topics I cover on my channel.

What do you think? All of your feedback is greatly appreciated! I hope this poll makes sense.
THO