Of course it's passion, Hugo.
If you read the piece properly, you would have seen that word was relating to nano-inluencers; who are everyday people that create content in their niche interest.
They might be interested in gardening, so they post content about gardening. They build a following of people interested in gardening.
Then, a gumboot company notices that they are wearing gumboots in their video. That company then pays them a small fee to wear their brand's gumboots in their videos..
Make sense?
You have a very short-sighted opinion of what an influencer is, so I hope you actually read the whole article and educate yourself.
Cheers.