Where do you see the emergence of Only fans (and similar copycat apps) fitting into this discussion?
Overtly Capitalist, entirely performer driven/controlled, it both adheres to the "artificial documentary" (sex as "content") yet with its Gonzo aesthetic/production is (can be) entirely removed from the artifice of a Porn Shoot; devoid of director/crew etc.
The content itself can be as flashy as the performer's desire; emulating the top shelf production of old (or the Porn Hubs of now), complete with the aforementioned crew and post production editing; or it can simply be the act as nature intended (demands?) simply caught on an iPhone and shared with willing subscribers?
The impetus to create and maintain an overtly pornographic Only Fans account is on the individual, therefore removing the pressure, trickery or force that can plague the industrial side of Porn (though pressures of real world financial needs can undoubtedly force hands).
Whilst Porn Stars/Performers have embraced/relented to sites like Only Fans now that the internet has reduced Production Value Porn to its individual sex scenes clipped onto Tube sites, has it put them on an even keel with anyone with a mobile phone?
Has the emergence of socialised pornographic media made Porn more palatable, or are our appetites less hidden these days?
Whilst Facebook/Instagram maintain a strict, authoritarian control over (what they see as) pornographic imagery on their platforms (leading to the #FreeTheNipple campaign to de-vilify shared anatomy between the sexes) most Only Fans models/performers utilise these accounts as the breadcrumb trail to their monetised, pornographic platforms (link in Bio).
Similarly, TikTok is awash with "gateway" accounts that tease pornography, helpfully directing users behind the beaded curtain only a click away, whilst Twitter lets you see it all on the delightfully depraved Bird App.
None of this is art, it is entirely commerce, and as such is that not more honest than Pornography has ever been? And if it is, does that honesty represent a new high, or a new low?
I knew if I wrote about Tom Cruise you'd reply! Very glad you did.
In terms of this discussion I think there's still some distinction between writing about prostitutes and paying to have sex with them, even if the end result is still mainly a guy wanking on his own whilst clutching his phone. Is OnlyFans a porn site or is it a web portal for prostitution? Perhaps both, but it is definitely not only for pornography.
I'd argue that the most significant change we're dealing with is the way that influencer culture encourages all of us to consider every aspect of our existence as a potential performance. This has a commercial element, but goes deeper. There is an obvious attraction to financially supporting your life just through the act of sharing the way in which you are living it, but the far more compelling pull is the thought of being an object worth observing.
One of the consequences of this is that what has become more acceptable is not the act of paying for a sexual service but the act of being paid for it. The distinction between sex work and other work has always been cultural, even spurious. The main weight that such a divide held is in personal safety, in person sex work remains dangerous for all manner of reasons. However with the internet enabling people to engage virtually, sex work becomes just another act of getting paid for sharing your life and the way in which are living it.
Where do you see the emergence of Only fans (and similar copycat apps) fitting into this discussion?
Overtly Capitalist, entirely performer driven/controlled, it both adheres to the "artificial documentary" (sex as "content") yet with its Gonzo aesthetic/production is (can be) entirely removed from the artifice of a Porn Shoot; devoid of director/crew etc.
The content itself can be as flashy as the performer's desire; emulating the top shelf production of old (or the Porn Hubs of now), complete with the aforementioned crew and post production editing; or it can simply be the act as nature intended (demands?) simply caught on an iPhone and shared with willing subscribers?
The impetus to create and maintain an overtly pornographic Only Fans account is on the individual, therefore removing the pressure, trickery or force that can plague the industrial side of Porn (though pressures of real world financial needs can undoubtedly force hands).
Whilst Porn Stars/Performers have embraced/relented to sites like Only Fans now that the internet has reduced Production Value Porn to its individual sex scenes clipped onto Tube sites, has it put them on an even keel with anyone with a mobile phone?
Has the emergence of socialised pornographic media made Porn more palatable, or are our appetites less hidden these days?
Whilst Facebook/Instagram maintain a strict, authoritarian control over (what they see as) pornographic imagery on their platforms (leading to the #FreeTheNipple campaign to de-vilify shared anatomy between the sexes) most Only Fans models/performers utilise these accounts as the breadcrumb trail to their monetised, pornographic platforms (link in Bio).
Similarly, TikTok is awash with "gateway" accounts that tease pornography, helpfully directing users behind the beaded curtain only a click away, whilst Twitter lets you see it all on the delightfully depraved Bird App.
None of this is art, it is entirely commerce, and as such is that not more honest than Pornography has ever been? And if it is, does that honesty represent a new high, or a new low?
I knew if I wrote about Tom Cruise you'd reply! Very glad you did.
In terms of this discussion I think there's still some distinction between writing about prostitutes and paying to have sex with them, even if the end result is still mainly a guy wanking on his own whilst clutching his phone. Is OnlyFans a porn site or is it a web portal for prostitution? Perhaps both, but it is definitely not only for pornography.
I'd argue that the most significant change we're dealing with is the way that influencer culture encourages all of us to consider every aspect of our existence as a potential performance. This has a commercial element, but goes deeper. There is an obvious attraction to financially supporting your life just through the act of sharing the way in which you are living it, but the far more compelling pull is the thought of being an object worth observing.
One of the consequences of this is that what has become more acceptable is not the act of paying for a sexual service but the act of being paid for it. The distinction between sex work and other work has always been cultural, even spurious. The main weight that such a divide held is in personal safety, in person sex work remains dangerous for all manner of reasons. However with the internet enabling people to engage virtually, sex work becomes just another act of getting paid for sharing your life and the way in which are living it.