Affiliate Marketing as a Social Science: Trust, Risk, and Digital Behavior

ABSTRACT : Affiliate marketing is often treated as a commercial referral model, but this paper frames it as a social science question. It examines trust formation, platform incentives, user interpretation, localization, and responsible promotion in digital economies. The analysis shows that conversion cannot be reduced to a link or dashboard metric: audience behavior depends on perceived legitimacy, language, payment confidence, regulatory boundaries, and the social role of the affiliate as an intermediary. The paper also considers gamblingrelated affiliate activity as a sector where risk, KYC, age restrictions, house edge, and responsible communication sharpen the ethical problem. KEYWORDS: affiliate marketing, digital behavior, digital economies, localization, platform incentives, trust