OnlyFans is a social media for porn. Let’s not kid ourselves that it will become a new Instagram. In August 2021, OnlyFans tried to shake off the stigma by announcing a ban on porn content on the platform. It then quickly backtracked because OnlyFans without sexually explicit content doesn’t work. Not yet. The reason? Everything that is not exciting, extreme, and borderline is already elsewhere. Perhaps the platform’s success so far has been precisely to differentiate itself from the masses with banned content on the competition. But regulation is needed; otherwise, drift is just around the corner.
OnlyFans was conceived as a kind of ‘premium’ Instagram, where VIPs and various personalities could offer exclusive paid content for follower-subscribers. However, the platform’s success was decreed by the content creators of the hard, who, especially during the pandemic, seized the opportunity to continue working, despite the lockdown and social distancing. A further boost came from the phenomenon of amateurs, who took advantage of this to start their first porn experiences.
From 2019 to 2021, content creators on OnlyFans grew from 100,000 to 1.5 million, while users exceeded 170 million. Along with them, the platform’s revenue also grew from $400 million to $2.5 billion. You will understand that if it is porn that has led to these results, the company will have no intention of banning what is already banned on other social platforms.
The fact is that the app is travelling in a terrain still little covered by the law. Under the guise of freedom of expression, one can find very racy content online, which would not look bad on sites like Pornhub. And the risk of minors visiting OnlyFans is very high. According to OnlyFans’ policy, users must be at least 18 years old to register, but no one will check if minors pretending to be of a higher age also log in. In May 2019, OnlyFans introduced a new account verification process for creators, who must provide a ‘selfie’ along with an ID to prove their identity. However, research showed that underage users used other people’s IDs and created accounts without problems. This suggests that age verification needs to be stronger.
Instagram is more
Then there is the idea that OnlyFans is a way to earn a lot of money with little effort. One finds the app creators boasting of houses bought in a few months, counting 100 euros notes as if they were crisps and even people explaining that managing an OnlyFans account requires more knowledge than it takes to get a degree. But is it really all porn that glitters?
According to Bloomberg, “OnlyFans has been celebrated for offering sex workers a safe place to do their work. But this has not prevented some unwanted drifts. As Australian sex worker Tilly Lawless puts it, for example, ‘OnlyFans does not want to be held responsible for people who solicit prostitution, so if you do full-service sex work outside OnlyFans, regardless of legality, your account can be closed, and your earnings seized’. An investigation conducted by the BBC shows how it is not uncommon for creators with fewer followers to post ads offering full sex. According to what some of the site’s moderators confessed, ‘some creators offer competitions to meet and have sex with fans as a way to increase their rates’. Such requests could also come from users themselves, circumventing the guidelines. OnlyFans is a social media for porn; let’s not delude ourselves into thinking it will become a new Instagram.
