By: Nick Gambino
After building their empire on the back of porn, OnlyFans will start banning sexually explicit content in October.
The radical policy shift might seem alarming to some, but when you consider that OnlyFans needs to entice investors and work with third-party companies for payment processing, etc. you can start to see why it was never going to last at that level in its current form.
“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” OnlyFans said in a statement on the matter.
OnlyFans boasts over 130 million users and 1.5 million creators and has earned those creators over $5 billion a year. They have quickly become one of the biggest platforms for intimate (read: sexual) content on the internet.
Like TikTok, OnlyFans became hugely popular during the pandemic when pornographic actors and sex workers were forced online. OnlyFans provided a controlled and safe environment to continue peddling that most coveted of products: Sex.
In fact, OnlyFans is almost synonymous with porn, but that was never the original intention of the company. Strip back what you know of it and just look at the name. It’s not called “PornFans” or even “HornFans.” It was originally intended for celebrities, entertainers, and such to directly interact with their fans by way of photos and videos and make some money while doing it. Think of it as an online ComicCon.
Just like any other platform that makes it easy to consume porn and doesn’t restrict it in any way, it didn’t take long for sexually explicit content to make up the majority of activity on the site.
Now, the new policy which goes into effect in October 2021 specifically bans sexually explicit content, in other words, pornography. They will still allow nude photos and videos. I’m not sure where they’re going to draw the line, but they’ll probably use a “you know it when you see it” yardstick.
It won’t be without controversy as they are already being met with some major backlash from those who see it as a callous move that throws the very people who built the platform to the curb.
I don’t see them reversing their decision, but I’m curious to see what it means for the future viability of the company.
