Terrible Influencers - which ones do you hate the most?

The Social Lounge Off-topic & Debates
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A lot of BS “influencers” are rampant across tech, finance, nutrition/health, etc. They range from inoffensively illiterate to downright clickbait scammers. Which ones do you hate the most? Let’s discuss :slightly_smiling_face:

In PC tech, I do not like Indian Gamer. I find his videos on PC builds and general content to be very meh, at best.

For example, who TF pairs a 9800X3D, a 1250W PSU, and a 5070, for a budget of 2 lakhs?

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Except geekyranjit, I think every mobile/tech reviewer that I’ve came across is biased. I used to watch techwiser when they were small and producing good content but overtime their quality went downhill.

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Thats why this board and similar exists

These people will push unnecessary expensive solutions

Check the comments. Are they censoring crtiques or not

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Other influencers push something of this sort of BS. Ive seen someone pair an ultra 7 with a 5060 for some reason.

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These tech-bros are mostly bought out by corpos or dictated by them. Am seeing this pattern across automobiles to tech. Just read out the brochure while not calling out drawbacks.

Another pattern I suspect is these guys are view-botting, subscribe-botting to make their channel look bigger. Lot of these channels look like they propped up overnight.

Zerodha network is the latest one to swallow smaller fishes.

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With my limited knowledge, the revenue streams for youtubers are

  1. Subscription from viewer
  2. Commission from Product (shown in video) purchase from viewer
  3. Ads / Sponsorships
  4. Their own products
  5. Offline shows / events

Afaik from 3rd world countries such as India,

  1. the first 3 are super low
  2. Hardly any youtuber has the last two.

Hence poor quality is inevitable imo.

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Yeah, he is the only one I watch regularly. Other than him, I just watch a few smartphone camera only youtubers like Kunal Malhotra and Through Jermaine’s Lens, they tend to be pretty unbiased in their reviews.

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Look at this guy for more laughs

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Not exactly, YouTubers earn a fuck ton of money. Idk if anyone follows Tamil tech channels here, but a few months back, there was a controversy, with this tech channel called “Tech boss”. A few members split from that channel to start their own, and started throwing shade at the old channel members. And that’s where so much shit came to the limelight.

Every time a major brand launches a new phone, it runs ad campaigns through some agencies. These agencies get in touch with influencers and sponsor a video.

They have a dedicated script on what to say, how to frame sentences, omit key disadvantages about the products, etc. They even shoot “long-term reviews” in one day by shaving their beards :expressionless_face:.

And they get paid in lakhs. Anywhere from 3-10 lakhs per video, depending on the brand and the channel.

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i don’t watch indian tech or any channel, rarely one or two. there is one channel got pooped in my feed is adi 4 u.

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There was an expose done earlier where the most popular Indian tech channels are basically run by a mafia who threaten to destroy the channel unless they join them.

Basically all YouTubers are given a script that they have to follow and most of it is promotional stuff in the guise of a review.

Too bad that majority of the viewers are ignorant enough to still rack up the views on such channels while treating them like demigods.

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Can you share that please.

These Mafias are everywhere.

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I especially can’t stand this guy. His builds over 40K are beyond BS. Not to mention his cringeworthy style of advertising.

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Not sure if the original video is still up, but it was around this time.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IndiaTech/comments/1fxlm8a/this_is_just_sad_the_state_of_indian_tech_youtube/

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I’ve no doubt the ad agencies are raking it in like they always have but I doubt the figure you posted for youtubers. There are many youtubers these days. At those rates very few would get chosen and that doesn’t strike like a sound business policy.

You want as many of them to plug your products in whatever fashion. And since these are international companies they deal with youtubers elsewhere too.

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True this. I was searching for reviews of some Realme TWS earbuds yesterday that I wanted to gift someone. Ended up coming across 4-5 Indian YouTubers saying very similar things, pointing out almost zero negatives, or even if they did, it would be intentionally so minor that people would brush it off. What did they all have in common? They all had the same special brand box which came with a phone (that they obviously reviewed), the buds, one personalised accessory and another item as well.

None of them stated that the video was sponsored, except one person, who wrote “This video is in partnership with Realme India”, but to see that, you would have to expand the description lol. Such sneaky, pathetic behaviour.

I have 0 faith in Indian tech YouTubers, at least the large ones. When someone points out that something clearly seems sponsored, their blind followers will attack anyone saying that they obviously need to make money. Such an idiotic thing to say. If almost everything they churn out is dictated by brands, then why should anyone watch them? At that point, you’re just an ad-watching machine and you don’t even realise it. Although I guess that’s what advertising is these days.

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Have any specific examples?

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FWIW, this is the video.

ChatGPT 4.1 summary:

The video “The Biggest Scam On YouTube #TechScam2024” raises serious allegations of corruption and collusion within India’s tech influencer marketing ecosystem. Here are the key points and the structure of the alleged scheme, as described in the video:

Main Allegations

  • Influencer agencies, brand managers, and a handful of content creators are alleged to collude, controlling both the narrative and business opportunities in the tech content space.
  • Only about four or five agencies and individuals (“नईम, नील, तने, राहुल, गोविंद” and entities like Momentum, iPlix, Social Source, Social Current, and Look Who’s Talking) are identified as the core orchestrators of this system, allegedly managing a ₹200 crore yearly business.

How the Alleged Scam Works

1. Controlling the Market

  • Agencies pressure tech creators to exclusively work with them—offering business if they comply or threatening blacklisting, loss of devices for review, and exclusion from sponsorships if they refuse.
  • On the brand side, agencies persuade companies to collaborate by promising positive coverage from 40–50 creators, or threaten negative campaigns if brands do not cooperate.
  • If both tactics fail, they allegedly attempt to “buy” brand managers with kickbacks to control distribution and access, constituting market manipulation.

2. Controlling Distribution

  • Traditionally, editorial product access (for review units) was separate from paid partnerships. These agencies now allegedly control both, deciding which creators get devices, removing brand neutrality.
  • Only compliant creators, whether paid or not, receive products in advance; independent or non-compliant creators are excluded from pre-launch access.

3. Controlling the Narrative

  • Agencies and brands allegedly provide strict scripts, even specifying background colors and exact phrases for videos.
  • All content (titles, hashtags, descriptions, and even spoken lines) is reviewed and approved by agencies/brands before upload, eliminating independent opinions.
  • Reviews are sanitized—any negative comments are edited out in multiple review rounds before public release.

4. “Kingmaker” Dynamics

  • A core set of compliant creators are artificially promoted: their videos are given inflated views, likes, and positive comments.
  • Non-compliant creators face orchestrated negative campaigns in their comment sections and lose out on market opportunities, stifling competition and consumer choice.
  • Launch timings, device distribution, and even comment section narratives are tightly managed.

Impact on Industry and Viewers

  • True competition and innovation are stifled; a handful of agencies effectively form an oligopoly, controlling the entire market.
  • Consumers are deceived by what appears to be genuine review content, which is actually scripted and manipulated advertising.
  • Independent creators struggle to survive and provide unbiased opinions, as they’re denied timely product access and suppressed algorithmically and reputationally.

Evidence Cited

  • A whistleblower email sent to about 400 addresses (agencies, brands, YouTube), including conversations and financial data regarding preferential pricing and business distribution.
  • Examples and partial evidence (blurred for privacy) are referenced but not fully shown in the video.

Legal and Ethical Context

  • The video references India’s Competition Act and the Competition Commission of India (CCI), suggesting that these practices constitute illegal market manipulation and violation of free-market principles.
  • The creators indicate they are submitting their findings to CCI for investigation.

Call to Action

  • Brands are urged to audit their processes and ensure fair market practices, removing individuals found to be involved in such activities.
  • Viewers are encouraged to support independent creators—even if their content arrives later—and avoid supporting brands/agencies that impose mandates.
  • The video highlights the importance of transparency and market fairness for a healthy, innovative tech industry[1].

In summary, the video alleges a deeply embedded system of control over tech creator content in India, driven by a small group of agencies and individuals, with both creators and brands sometimes acting as puppets. The video calls for regulatory and industry intervention, as well as greater audience awareness and support for independent creators.

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Influencers from nutrition/health sector should be restricted for false promotions.
You can come across many, who will do anything to promote an advertiser.

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I will defend Indian Gamer here, overall he gives good and accurate info. He also does a lot of videos on peripherals and things like NAS that most Indian youtubers don’t do.

As for this build, it’s obvious he is just using the parts he has lying around or the sponsors have sent him. It’s not a build guide for ideal PC at 2 lakhs. In the video itself he mentions that he was waiting for 5090 and is using 5070 because he wasn’t able to get it in time. In the video itself he has mentioned how to save money on RAM/SSD/CPU with different components.

Also his channel has been less active for the last few years so he hasn’t had the chance to do comprehensive videos covering all price points.