How did OnlyFans change sex work?

If you know porn, you know that OnlyFans is the biggest name in the industry, whether the company likes it or not. No doubt, the platform is huge, but how exactly did OnlyFans change sex work?

OnlyFans has definitely courted controversy recently, with its decision to ban sex workers from the platform in August 2021 and a swift U-turn less than a week later. Even now, it’s far from the perfect platform for sex workers, with restrictive and kink-unfriendly rules, but it has had a social impact.

To help you understand the social impact of OnlyFans, we’re going to look at:

• How OnlyFans helped shift the power dynamic of porn
• The change in accessibility of sex work
• How bringing social networking elements to sex work changed the landscape
• What OnlyFans did to make selling sex socially acceptable

Before we look at the better alternative to OnlyFans that you need to be using.

1.     OnlyFans changed who has the power in porn

OnlyFans wasn’t the first clip-selling site. ManyVids was founded in 2014 n Canada and was the first major site where creators could sell content directly to their fans. OnlyFans launched in 2016 and PornHub created their response – ModelHub – in 2018.

Although unlikely part of the original plan, having a platform to directly connect with fans changed who held the power in porn.

When the focus of the porn industry was on studio-produced and distributed content, porn stars would get paid a flat fee. It would take a long time for a model to establish themselves and start to command high fees. Even then, there was always someone – usually a man – getting a percentage of the sales.

When a site like OnlyFans came along, it meant that men and women who made porn could shoot their own content and sell it directly to their fans. After expenses like cameras, co-stars, and the 20% taken by the platform are covered, the creator pockets everything.

While there is still a place for studio porn in the industry, there is now a different power dynamic at play and the stars in that content can demand better deals knowing that their online following offers power and value.

2.     OnlyFans made sex work accessible

Before online sex work, there were still plenty of options for sex work. You could always choose between options like:

• Cam sites
• Studio porn
• Dancing in a club
• Full-service sex work
• Text and phone sex

Adding another option to that list made it even easier to get into sex work.

All you now need to start your career in sex work is a smartphone, an internet connection, and a bit of knowledge about how to market yourself on social media.

It can’t be underestimated how much easier this made accessing the industry. Barriers to entry have been broken down and women and men can now make passive income like so many other industries.

3.     OnlyFans made porn social

Anyone remember the slew of memes from the PornHub comment sections a few years ago? That may have been the first porn x social media crossover, but OnlyFans really hammered it home.

If you’ve not actually seen OnlyFans ever, well it looks like Twitter. A lot like Twitter.

It’s probably not a coincidence. OnlyFans made porn social, putting explicit content into a super-familiar format; a feed where you can like and comment with the posts. Except, there is a paywall.

By making a scrollable page where creators could interact with their fans, OnlyFans took what most people love about social media and monetized it. Anyone going to a profile for the first time will immediately understand what they’re looking at and how to use it.

Crossing social media and sex work changed how creators interact with their fans, making a direct and familiar connection.

4.     OnlyFans took sex work mainstream

For better or worse, OnlyFans is the “acceptable face” of sex work. You see it talked about in the media and when it temporarily changed its rules about adult content, it was headline news all over the world.

There are even celebrities on there, selling nudes and sex tapes.

Everyone knows porn exists, but before OnlyFans, it was closeted away – something we only talked about online with people on the subreddits for the kinks we were into. Now, lots of people know someone who has an OnlyFans.

Even mainstream media like Netflix and the BBC make documentaries following the rise of OnlyFans and the creators who use it.

Is OnlyFans the future of sex work?

OnlyFans as definitely had an impact on the mechanics of sex work as well as its reputation. However, it’s not exactly pro-sex work. It’s kinda like they cope with NSFW content on the platform because it’s a cash cow, not because they’re interested in working with it.

In contrast, SinParty is all about porn and adult content and helping creators monetize their content. We’re unashamedly sex-positive and kink-friendly – if it’s legal, then you can sell it on SinParty.

We want to take online sex work to the next level and make it fully mainstream. We treat our creators like business customers who need the best product possible so they can grow their online business.

SinParty is a place you can be proud to host your content and bring your fans to.

Did OnlyFans change sex work?

OnlyFans put the power in the hands of sex workers and creatives in the industry. You as an amateur porn maker now have control of the content you make and the money that you earn.

It has changed how sex work is viewed in modern society, yet as a business, it still doesn’t quite embrace sex work. There are better creator platforms, like SinParty, where you’ll be welcomed and listened to while still having a great space to sell your porn videos.