OnlyFans is swiftly moving away from the very industry that put them on the map, namely pornography.
From October, as publication Bloomberg reports, “the company will prohibit creators from posting material with sexually explicit conduct on its website.”
What is OnlyFans?
OnlyFans is a website whereby creators could upload any kind of content to be shared with others, and lock it behind a paywall, as Pocket-Lint expresses.
Since its inception in 2016, the London-based company served as one of the few online services in the world where people could actually generate a highly profitable income for themselves based on their own content. While it may have started as a platform for comedians and fitness fanatics to monetise their skills, it quickly became the space for a massive paradigm shift in the sex-work industry.
It has been cited as the “Patreon for porn” (as per Campaign Live) whereby anyone could create an OnlyFans account and share private content for payment in return. It could be anything from selfies to explicit content, based on a specific user profile. Part of what made OnlyFans so attractive can be argued in light of the connection between an individual and a user. This personalisation is arguably what drew people towards the site – especially during the pandemic.
OnlyFans gained massive traction as people were shut away from the outside world, seeking digital interaction of all kinds.
Safer Sex-Work
The company has been credited for giving sex workers a safer place to do their jobs, hence the paradigm shift in the sex work industry. Nevertheless, sex work deals with a certain taboo nature, which the company seems to want to rebrand. The rebranding initiative allegedly stems from pressure derived from external parties, including banking partners and payment providers.
“The company handled more than $2 billion in sales last year and is on pace to generate more than double that this year. It keeps 20% of that figure,” as Bloomberg records.
OnlyFans sits with a 130 million user base.
However, OnlyFans is seemingly turning its back on the sexually explicit underpinnings that sky-rocketed the platform into attraction, though not completely.
“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” OnlyFans said.
The news came as a disappointment to sex workers who rely on the site for income. Raking in a 80% commission is no small feat.
However, it’s not a complete leap away from sex-work, and rather a social distancing.
As SkyNews reports, nudity will still be allowed, as long as it complies with the company’s new guidelines or acceptable use policy. What won’t be allowed is ‘sexually explicit’ images and videos.
The acceptable use policy is still in the works.
Picture: Pinterest/ Grass-Fires
