OnlyFans, an online platform that offers users the possibility to subscribe to various content, has always increased its popularity by offering pornography, announced last week that it will ban the distribution of sexually explicit content in October 2021. And thus became a hard-working platform, without adult content.
OnlyFans, an online platform that offers users the option to subscribe to various content, has always increased its popularity by offering pornography, announced last week that it will ban the distribution of sexually explicit content in October 2021. And thus became a hard-working platform, without adult content.
The announcement shocked those who made a living from the creation and distribution of content through this platform, as well as surprised the wider technology and business community, writes The Guardian. Why would OnlyFans chase away those who made it possible to expand its business and market recognition?
Sex workers who have built their careers have expanded their business and income through the platform OnlyFans, quickly got organized and started discussing among themselves which platform they could switch to in order to continue with their business model. In addition, they expressed fear that removing pornography from OnlyFans could drive it back into the gray zone, underground, or worse, onto the street.
This wouldn't be the first time a company has broken into the mainstream for adult content, gained recognition, and then abandoned the content and the people who created the community.
The reasons are of a financial nature!
Co-founder of the service and adult entertainment entrepreneur Tim Stokely told the media that the ban was announced because the banks did not want to work with the platform and that OnlyFans has now reached an agreement with the banks that will allow the platform to continue operating on the same terms as before . Tim also thanked creators and the diverse community, but refused to acknowledge how important sexually explicit content is to the platform.
"Given that they said the ban was 'temporarily postponed' and not the sky, I think it will be implemented in a few weeks," said Lola Hunt, a sex worker from the Australian city of Melbourne. “The sex worker community is pretty upset right now. Our customer base is broken every time the site goes down. Imagine owning a store and every six months religious fanatics take you out of town.” She told the media. And she emphasized that she no longer believes in platorma.
A short but colorful history of the family business!
Tim Stokely is a platform OnlyFans launched in 2016, and the platform has changed a lot to date. The platform was initially a family business as Stokely's father Guy, a retired banker who held senior positions at Barclays and still sits on the board of OnlyFans, invested the first money in the idea. Tom Stokely, Tim's brother, runs the operations at OnlyFans and Tim's mother, Deborah, was a director of OnlyFans' parent company. OnlyFans is still based in the UK. Where it is considered one of the more successful family businesses.
What to do? Get good or stay naughty!
The Stokelys who really run the company and are the public face of OnlyFans, but the company has multiple owners. The documents say that the entire company was sold in 2018 to Leonid Radvinski, a little-known businessman from the US state of Florida. Despite this, the Stokelys pocketed tens of millions of British pounds last year thanks to the good business of OnlyFans.
OnlyFans is in an unenviable financial and cultural position. Although pornography is widely available (according to some estimates, as many as 25 million Britons watch it), Fr OnlyFans rarely speaks, and many financial institutions perceive the platform as toxic and bordering on legal.
OnlyFans presents itself to the public as an easy-to-use platform where anyone can sell their content. The platform heavily promotes its culinary and fitness content and never talks about how much of the platform's traffic goes to pornography.
OnlyFans is expanding and growing rapidly, so it is estimated that in 2022 it will generate from the sale of content 2.5 billion dollars. Most of this amount will end up being net profit. Still, mutual funds have been reluctant to invest in a company that has faced negative media reports claiming that the company allows the sale of underage pornography. OnlyFans claims that its system for determining the age of users is much stricter than legal regulations.
The platform recently participated in a promotional campaign and for this purpose hired the public relations agency W Communications. So far, the agency has cooperated with British Airways, media conglomerate Disney and car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, but did not state on its website that it also works with OnlyFans.
Furthermore OnlyFans there is no shortage of detractors – from non-profit religious organizations that find any pornography a thorn in their side, to other organizations that argue that a lack of adequate content control is leading to the flourishing of juvenile and revenge pornography on the platform.
So the future of this platform is extremely uncertain, but we believe that it will not be as diligent as the banks want it to be.
