But do you know what's driving OnlyFans' explosion as a successful platform, and what OnlyFans creators are doing to popularize their own channels?
The Basics Behind OnlyFans
Originally launched in 2016, OnlyFans is a social media platform that allows creators to stream live video content and engage with viewers in a variety of ways. While not explicitly defined as a sexual or pornographic platform, OnlyFans has a reputation for supporting sex workers and salacious content, in part because most other livestreaming platforms strictly prohibit it.
Beyond sexual content, many celebrities have found value in the platform to promote themselves and their upcoming work.
OnlyFans creators have virtually unlimited freedom netherlands telegram data in when and how they stream. Viewers can discover new channels and choose to subscribe for a monthly fee of $4.99 to $49.99, depending on the subscription level they choose.
Different subscription levels confer different benefits, such as access to exclusive content. Additionally, users can pay to “tip” a content creator or make an extra donation for private messages.
Some users claim to earn six figures (or more) each year through the platform, though this only applies to the handful of top creators. Most only see a trickle of income, presumably because they don’t know how to tap into OnlyFans’ full potential or have limited appeal.
Why OnlyFans is successful
Why is this platform so successful? There are several possible explanations, and all of them could play at least a partial role in explaining OnlyFans' popularity:
The Dawn of the Parasocial Relationship. First, we live in an increasingly disconnected age. We spend most of our time online, we engage with people in public less often, and many feel isolated. At the same time, celebrity worship and celebrity culture continues to expand. These factors have led to the emergence of the “parasocial” relationship, where many people connect with an individual (i.e. a celebrity or content creator), but that individual isn’t particularly connected to any of the followers on a personal level in return. OnlyFans is tailor-made to support parasocial relationships.
The COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic caused OnlyFans to explode in popularity, for a number of reasons. For starters, strippers, sex workers, and people in related professions were out of work during lockdown; OnlyFans was their only realistic alternative. Also, given the excess of free time and a sense of isolation, people were driven to experiment with new forms of interaction and engagement, causing them to flock to platforms like OnlyFans.
Pure accessibility. It also helped that OnlyFans is designed to be a very accessible platform. As a viewer, you can get started for free and subscribe to select channels for a minimal investment. From there, you can start interacting with your favorite creators directly. From a creator perspective, it’s extraordinarily easy to launch a new channel, and you can interact with your fans and viewers however you want (with some limited exceptions).
Earning potential. Many creators flocked to OnlyFans when they heard about the billionaires who made their fortunes on the platform. Getting rich on OnlyFans is the exception, not the norm; but that hasn't stopped people from falling in love with the idea of using the platform to make money.
