One of the biggest selling points of a platform like OnlyFans was to allow people to take back control of their content, often freeing themselves of the exploitation of the adult industry, yet new reports suggest that it might not necessarily be all that it seems for the biggest creators.
While traditional pornographic content websites like Pornhub still dominate search traffic despite attempts from governments to block access, the rise of apps like OnlyFans has transformed how people access the adult industry from both sides of the screen.
Now, creators have complete freedom over what they share and how much they charge, giving many of the biggest names far more freedom over their own bodies — including some of the most prominent figures who had previously retired from the industry following exploitation.
Controversial former YouTube child stars have shown quite how much money you can make on the platform in an incredibly short amount of time, but that attention often comes with the expectation of a more personalized experience that's understandably challenging to keep up with.
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Unfortunately, this appears to have prompted some of the biggest creators on the platform to turn to unethical labor practices, as reports from the BBC have exposed how people working for as little as $2-per-hour are employed to answer the messages of big OnlyFans models.
These workers are often employed by a third party on behalf of the models, and are tasked with earning 'hundreds of dollars worth' of sales from various pictures, videos, and messages shared by the account despite earning a fraction of that across an entire workday themselves.
It's unethical enough that people are being paid to pretend to be someone else on the platform for an unliveable wage, yet the actual practice of messaging raises further concerns surrounding the obvious content that these chatters are exposed to.
Speaking to the BBC, one unnamed woman based in the Philippines who took on this role has revealed how troubling the work she was tasked with doing ended up being.
"It's kind of icky when you think about it, because you'll have to do sexting a lot of times, like several times an hour because, you know, you'll be talking to several fans all at once," she explained.
"Technically, I'm scamming them, because I'll be sending all those photos and videos to them, and I'm just after the sale," she continued. "There are days when I feel like, 'what the hell and I doing here?', because there are days that it would really take its toll on you.
"It's really not pleasant, you know? You're going to question yourself. Your morality, even, and even your conscience. It's really kind of heart-breaking, especially knowing that the agency is getting way more."
She noted that many of the fans she speaks to are 'really nice', but added that often the feeling of loneliness made the situation feel sad. It's exploitation on two fronts, as not only are the workers extremely underpaid and exposed to troubling content, but those paying for the messages are being lied to and paying for the privilege.