OnlyFans

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OnlyFans

Example user-interface of website OnlyFans Type Web Application Launch Date 2016 Status Active Product Line Content Sharing Service Platform Website Website Official Site

OnlyFans is an online content-sharing social platform that was founded in 2016. According to its creator, British entrepreneur Tim Stokely, the site was developed to monetize social media content free of advertisers. Creators are given the ability to paywall content by setting monthly subscription rates for premium followers, in return, OnlyFans receives 20% of their total revenue. Although creators can upload any kind of content such as music and comedy, it is widely considered as a platform for sex workers.

Background

Company Info & User Data Projections

As of 2021, OnlyFans is a privately-traded company owned by CEO and founder Tim Stokely. It boasts more than 100,000,000 registered users and pays more than $3,000,000,000 annually to its creators. Tim Stokely estimates that the site gains 200,000 new users and 7,000 to 8,000 new creators every day. The global headquarters of OnlyFans is located at Kearn Street in London. According to online databases of OnlyFans statistics, approximately 1.54% of users are content creators while 98.46% are fans. The most liked account globally is @omgcosplay with ~3.21 million likes, the most subscribed account with 236.6K fans is @HAMMY_TV and the top earning profile of ~$20 million is @blacchyna. XSRUS, a strategic business consultant and analyst, reports that the average monthly earning from OnlyFans is $180. They observe that the top 1% of accounts share 33% of all monthly revenue while the top 10% of accounts make up 73%.

Functionality

Users of OnlyFans can interact with the application similarly to other social media platforms. The website offers standard content filtering, sharing, moderating, and reporting functionality. New content can be posted as text, images, videos, or audio and be liked, commented on, or given tips by other users. Posts are modelled after the “carousel format” popularized most notably by Instagram, but focus on highlighting creators instead. Seasoned creators can customize their business model and the level of fan interaction they have as well. Monetization opportunities include: additional paywalls on content, freemium models, and discounts on bundles. Creators can message fans individually or collectively without revealing which, forming stronger connections. OnlyFans encourages its creators to prioritize fostering relationships with fans as “tipping is a key way free OnlyFans accounts earn.”

Alternative Uses

Besides pornagraphy, a common form of content on OnlyFans, many users utilize the platform for other ventures such as teaching dance moves, gambling, and cooking. Due to the site's increase of users throughout 2020 from social distancing during COVID-19, OnlyFans has been advertised to newcomers as mostly consisting of sex work. Creators frequent the app for many reasons, a growing percentage of them have begun using the app to make ends meet financially. Many OnlyFans creators were financially and psychologically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, forcing some to use OnlyFans as a primary source of income. Marcela Alonso is a public figure who has gained notoriety for using her OnlyFans earnings to pay her bills and care for her children. She, like many others, saw an economic opportunity to capitalize on high demand by raising prices, ultimately raising her income.

Dr. Alex George is another unconventional, popular user on OnlyFans. He's using OnlyFans to start an initiative for mental health support. Dr. George’s OnlyFans account is saturated with advice and engaging content targeted towards followers over 18 years old. His approach to paywalls is removing them from his profile completely to make his content accessible for all. Alex has also allowed himself to be open to instant messaging on the app.

Cultural Effects

Mainstream Appeal

Though the company has been in existence since 2016, OnlyFans experienced exponential growth in 2020. It rose from paying $64 million to creators and having 7.5 million subscribers in 2019, to paying over $300 million and having 85 million subscribers in 2020. Many have speculated that the COVID-19 pandemic unwittingly spurred the mobile-app gig-economy due to rising levels of unemployment. Loneliness from social distancing and isolation is another commonly cited reason for OnlyFans’ recent success. The social media platform has also grown in popularity thanks to attention from mainstream media and celebrities. A growing list of famous users who have already flocked to the platform includes Tyga, Cardi B, Bella Thorne, and Jordyn Woods. Megan Thee Stallion’s Savage remix featuring Beyonce also lyrically references the social media platform: “Hips TikTok when I dance/On that Demon Time, she might start an OnlyFans (OnlyFans).”

Controversy & Criticism

In spite of its commercial successes, OnlyFans has encountered controversies and criticisms as well. In August of 2020, Bella Thorne joined OnlyFans and broke the site's records by receiving more than $1 million in one day. She also broke her alleged promise for nude photos, resulting in OnlyFans capping tips for private messages and pay-per-view content at $100 dollars and $50 respectively, rather than the $200 previously. Like many other celebrities, Bella has faced backlash for gentrifying the platform, diverting much-needed attention and resources from sex workers to her. OnlyFans has received praise for overturning power imbalances in the sex worker industry, giving creators newfound agency in their careers. However, as noted by XSRUS, OnlyFans favors those who already have established social capital, creating a false illusion of achievable success. This income and class divide between organic top creators and celebrities is another widespread criticism of OnlyFans.

The long-term, ethical implications of normalizing pornagraphic content creation has unwittingly sparked new life into cultural debates regarding promiscuity. Supporters of OnlyFans argue that it could sexually liberate and empower women in a society that oppresses and victimizes their sexuality. On the other hand, critics of OnlyFans argue that it could lower moral standards and spread content permanently throughout the Internet. The consequences of increased porn use replacing human connection is a widespread debate typically associated with OnlyFans as well.