Change in culture among new generation of cam girls?

[WarmWaters]

I’m 24 and have been visiting CB occasionally 6 years now. Sometimes I’ll log on a dozen times a year, sometimes only twice a year. I’ve been logging on a bit more periodically now as it’s been a very long time and my general observation has been that I definitely don’t recall “Twitch internet culture” being as abundant on CB even just 3 years ago? It seems to be a huge thing in younger 18-25 yo “e-girls” as they call them compared to even just 3 years ago.

It used to be that girls on CB would tell you about the club they went to or guys they fucked last Friday night but now I’m literally hearing these girls say they only have 1 or 2 friends + Chat. The site isn’t attracting strippers who are just hanging out before they go to the club as their “real job,” it seems to be attracting a lot of younger, celibate women who are lonely and want a community. They don’t really talk to anyone else; they have their Twitter, onlyfans, Snapchat, and discord accounts linked so they can stay in contact with Chat 24/7. It’s like they’re addicted to it. They are active in discord group chats just in case they ever feel the need to talk to someone when they are feeling lonely at 3am Chat will be there. They have group movie nights, group dinner nights, etc with their Discord “family” otherwise known as Chat.


I was in a room where a girl mentioned that she has no friends besides Chat. She was trying to come up with ideas for movie nights on Discord or even give the ability to go on a “dates” on Discord by eating dinner together or just calling for and talking together for an hour, and she couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to do these things with Chat. It truly seemed like she’d be in love with it if it were a person or was otherwise addicted to it. A similar topic of discussion as I am writing here started, and I made a (non-jerk) comment on how I can definitely view it as being addictive because Chat is always there - he is in your room watching your intimate moments cum, you talk to Chat when you eat a snack on stream, Chat will always be there and encourage you or cheer you up when you are sad, etc. and she agreed and said the attention and money compared to the “scary real world” is definitely an addiction for her. She literally stated that she is a parasocial.

I’m not saying CB and cam sites are the only internet communities to have changed cultures like this in the last 4-6 years. You see it on twitch, OnlyFans, YouTube, “gaming channels”, etc. I’m just curious if any of you have noticed this change in internet culture particularly among 18-25 or 18-30 year olds recently?

 

[AmberCutie]

Covid changed things.

 

[Smoothie]

Covid changed things.

Definitely this.

I also think that there’s a generational shift happening. Younger adults grew up communicating on the internet and there are so many options these days that you’re bound to find something that suits you.

If you’re a little introverted or you just don’t want to deal with people face to face, it’s an easy choice. In the old days, your options were (generally) to go outside and engage in social activities, or stay home and be lonely. Today you can stay home, but fulfill that need for interaction and friendship online, if you find the right community.

It’s probably a godsend for a lot of people. Cam models or otherwise.

 

[AudriTwo]

 

[Just_A_Guy]

It is my opinion that this has nothing to do with the cam business. It is just how youngsters and our kids or the "millennial" generation, as you might call it, socialise in this day and age. IMO, they often confuse online relationships with RL relationships, and quite frankly, it's quite scary. As others have said, that's how the grew up.

They were literally born online and have no RL relationships or friends besides that world. This is the world today, unfortunately, and it's quite scary, indeed. Just my 2 cents.

To give you a real life example, a couple of months ago, I was invited at an after-event party, and there were quite a few of those Instagram models, that's how they are called today, I believe. That said, I can tell you for a fact they weren't on any catwalks, though. One of them even showed me the number her followers on the gram, as if that would mean anything to me. At first, I didn't even know what even she was talking about, but then I connected the dots, so to speak. They have no RL relationships and no true friends in real life, and this is not because they don't want, but, perhaps, - as you said - becausethey think the world is scary or they are just not used to RL relationships. Do you know - verbatim - what I did say: "How come you have some many followers and friends and, yet, you don't even anybody who can drive you back to your hotel". It's unbelievable, it really is a fake life. But I mean, that's our world today, and sure, perhaps some people find it better this way.

 

[inertvolcano]

It is just how youngsters and our kids or the "millennial" generation, as you might call it, socialise in this day and age.

Millennials are pushing 40. You're thinking of Gen Z.

 

[Just_A_Guy]

Millennials are pushing 40. You're thinking of Gen Z.

Yeah, I think you are correct. Gen Z that's how it is called. Millenials are Gen Y, right? My bad.

 

[EasternPromis]

They don’t really talk to anyone else; they have their Twitter, onlyfans, Snapchat, and discord accounts linked so they can stay in contact with Chat 24/7. It’s like they’re addicted to it

Because Onlyfans has a lot of earning potential. Such us $20,000+ a month. They’re addicted to money and potential. So yeah they’re working 24/7 while it’s on upturn as anything can happen such as Onlyfans treats to remove all porn year ago, so they making most while they can - to buy house, invest etc.
Nerdy, shy, single girl is very popular and likable type too. Also doing sex work becomes less and less stigmatized especially since Onlyfans blew up and literally so many people have it nowadays.

 

[MarieElise]

There was a big sociology study done several years ago, and there's a cut off birth year date where they found the number of responders who answered "yes" to questions like; "Have you ever tried a street drug?", (and a number of other such real life experience questions), start turning to mostly No's. Whereas before it was mostly yes's. It's past millennial though, like BVolcano pointed out.

I guess if they are not getting STDs and doing too much risky stuff, it could be good in some ways.

So although it's seen in this industry, it's actually across society. People just do a lot more socializing online. Personally, I love it.
Technology.

(Although I hate how everyone expects you to answer your phone these days. I was never into that, even in the days of landline.
Seems like more people freak out if they don't hear from you in a week,. than used to be the case. Which can be overwhelming, to say the least.
Maybe a facet of the more addicting side of it. Like they get a dopamine blast or something from it.)

 

[Just_A_Guy]

potential

I might have my infos wrong, and please, correct me if that is the case., but I believe nowadays the average OF girl makes as much as the average pizza delivery guy in the norm. So, I believe you are talking about a very tiny small %.

 

[EasternPromis]

I might have my infos wrong, and please, correct me if that is the case., but I believe nowadays the average OF girl make as much as the avarege pizza delivery guy on the norm. SO I believe you are talking about a very tiny small %

Yeah and a lot of girls who saw how much 1% makes are trying hard because it can be life changing amounts of money.
These who make little - start Onlyfans thinking it’s get-rich-quick scheme and think if they plop out boob on the internet suddenly 1000 sugar daddies will be showering them with money. But successful Onlyfans is actually a lot of work, hence 24/7 hassle non stop. There definitely is potential if promotion done correctly.

 

[AmberCutie]

I might have my infos wrong, and please, correct me if that is the case., but I believe nowadays the average OF girl makes as much as the average pizza delivery guy in the norm. So, I believe you are talking about a very tiny small %.

This is very true. Only the top 2% or so make over like $6000/month.

 

[Danigirl]

It's def not just cam girls in this scenario but let's face it, it's not like you can announce you're a cam model/OF model like you can if you're pre-med or studying finance etc. It adds to the reclusiveness if that's the right word. I grew up with myspace/AOL aim and baby Facebook as the extent of social media and cell phones were RAZRs in middle school. Now I see freaking 8 year olds with iPhones and toddlers with tablets. Add COVID on top of people already glued to social media and it makes it even harder for any in-person interaction. They graduated high school or spent first years in college online.


Add camming and the amount of time and effort spent making sure you can pay bills and get the gratification of ranks and contests. That takes so many hours especially if responding to messages around the clock. The income potential is crazy but so are the risks. I'd rather have 1-2 good friends who don't judge my job than a huge social circle of potential backstabbers.

 

[WarmWaters]

Thank you so much for the interesting discussion all - so many interesting points raised. I didn't even consider how much covid may have changed the camming world because I didn't really visit the site 2020-2022 so it's been interesting to see how things have changed. Honestly even with me being only 24, seeing the way people just 4 years younger than me use the internet is often a culture shock. I feel like my generation was still raised in that it was "weird" or "dangerous" to talk to strangers on the internet because "you never know who is sitting on the other end", the person on the other end could hack your private information, etc etc etc. Meanwhile young adults of today literally post videos of themselves crying or even more embarrassing stuff on tiktok for the entire world to see without even thinking twice about it; it's normal to them.

Another example I have of yesterday's adventures was when I was watching this 21 year old cam girls stream. She kept saying how she had to shower. Well eventually she get's to it, spends 10 minutes working on repositioning her camera, laptop etc. all while showing us her progress, asking for advice on troubleshooting, etc. and then moves her mic/headset to the shower area and literally still engages with Chat while she is scrubbing herself in the shower. Yes it is a fetish for some and obviously seeing a girl naked with a dildo in front of the camera is more intimate than just a shower but seeing this girls bathroom, toiletries, and other hygiene products by the bathroom sink & overall living situation in her apartment felt weirdly invasive. I feel like just 5 years ago if a cam girl went to go shower she definitely would have paused her stream and put up the "brb" screen until she's ready to come back. But this seemed totally normal.

It's interesting how the camming industry has changed & innovated in just 5 years, meanwhile the strip club industry seems to have been on steady decline for what seems like a while now.

 

[AmberCutie]

Another example I have of yesterday's adventures was when I was watching this 21 year old cam girls stream. She kept saying how she had to shower. Well eventually she get's to it, spends 10 minutes working on repositioning her camera, laptop etc. all while showing us her progress, asking for advice on troubleshooting, etc. and then moves her mic/headset to the shower area and literally still engages with Chat while she is scrubbing herself in the shower. Yes it is a fetish for some and obviously seeing a girl naked with a dildo in front of the camera is more intimate than just a shower but seeing this girls bathroom, toiletries, and other hygiene products by the bathroom sink & overall living situation in her apartment felt weirdly invasive. I feel like just 5 years ago if a cam girl went to go shower she definitely would have paused her stream and put up the "brb" screen until she's ready to come back. But this seemed totally normal.

Shower shows were huuuuuge back in the day. And by that I mean 2009! The members always enjoyed seeing models make the transition from one room to another. That's a big part of camming, IMO. It makes it less "porn" and more personable adult interaction, which a lot of people are craving when they come to a cam site vs. looking for free porn.

 

[rockin_rod]

Thank you so much for the interesting discussion all - so many interesting points raised. I didn't even consider how much covid may have changed the camming world because I didn't really visit the site 2020-2022 so it's been interesting to see how things have changed. Honestly even with me being only 24, seeing the way people just 4 years younger than me use the internet is often a culture shock. I feel like my generation was still raised in that it was "weird" or "dangerous" to talk to strangers on the internet because "you never know who is sitting on the other end", the person on the other end could hack your private information, etc etc etc. Meanwhile young adults of today literally post videos of themselves crying or even more embarrassing stuff on tiktok for the entire world to see without even thinking twice about it; it's normal to them.

Another example I have of yesterday's adventures was when I was watching this 21 year old cam girls stream. She kept saying how she had to shower. Well eventually she get's to it, spends 10 minutes working on repositioning her camera, laptop etc. all while showing us her progress, asking for advice on troubleshooting, etc. and then moves her mic/headset to the shower area and literally still engages with Chat while she is scrubbing herself in the shower. Yes it is a fetish for some and obviously seeing a girl naked with a dildo in front of the camera is more intimate than just a shower but seeing this girls bathroom, toiletries, and other hygiene products by the bathroom sink & overall living situation in her apartment felt weirdly invasive. I feel like just 5 years ago if a cam girl went to go shower she definitely would have paused her stream and put up the "brb" screen until she's ready to come back. But this seemed totally normal.

It's interesting how the camming industry has changed & innovated in just 5 years, meanwhile the strip club industry seems to have been on steady decline for what seems like a while now.

The model I frequent has shower show as a goal and also on her tip menu, and they are very popular.
I see the room count increase rapidly whenever she starts relocating to the bathroom, and often with many newcomers joining too.
So it definitely still has great appeal.

 

[Highlander884]

I'm not sure if it is just teens.

Just about 2/3rds of the ladies I follow on cb r introverts in the real world and have social anxiety/difficulties and/or depression.
I think part of the appeal besides money is the social aspect and being able to control their social life. this has been like this with girls I've been following since 2017.

 

[Finchomatic]

I'm not sure if it is just teens.

Just about 2/3rds of the ladies I follow on cb r introverts in the real world and have social anxiety/difficulties and/or depression.
I think part of the appeal besides money is the social aspect and being able to control their social life. this has been like this with girls I've been following since 2017.

Especially social/energy vampires. It's easier to ban and remove someone from your online life with a click of a mouse button.

 

[Nevaeh]

To me, this is why I believe camming has been going down hill over the years. Too many people are coming to these type of sites to find a friend, companion, of lover instead of logging on to provide or receive a service. This camming thing should not be emotionally deep like this.

 

[rockin_rod]

Too many people are coming to these type of sites to find a friend, companion, of lover instead of logging on to provide or receive a service.

It dawned on me a couple of weeks ago when silencing spam bots on CB, that there has been a recent shift in the line of text they display.
It's heading away from the usual sexual content and now featuring the 'find a partner', 'don't be lonely any more' sort of prompt.

 

[Nevaeh]

It dawned on me a couple of weeks ago when silencing spam bots on CB, that there has been a recent shift in the line of text they display.
It's heading away from the usual sexual content and now featuring the 'find a partner', 'don't be lonely any more' sort of prompt.

Yea, it's all a set up for failure. It's the same thing when someone clicks on the "meet and Fuck" prompt on a website and they are transferred to my room wanting to know my whereabouts. I just notice an heavy uptick of people just wanting to talk as if we are on Facebook messenger or something and I am sick of it. It's nice to engage in to small talk sometime but when it tries to get off course of purpose of the site, it's a problem.

 

[mika_kedi]

Yes, covid changed things, yes, younger generations are more online, but another important point is that just because a cam girl says something or invents a certain persona for herself doesn't mean it's real. We are all hustling here.

Many of these "constantly online, shy IRL, my followers are my friends" e-girls are choosing these personas because it is what sells currently. Many of them are not really online themselves besides streams, but have people running their OF, discords, social media etc. and chatting with customers as them, because being constantly online is expected from them, but not really doable for a person with bigger following, and that's what makes them money.

 

[WarmWaters]

Yes, covid changed things, yes, younger generations are more online, but another important point is that just because a cam girl says something or invents a certain persona for herself doesn't mean it's real. We are all hustling here.

Many of these "constantly online, shy IRL, my followers are my friends" e-girls are choosing these personas because it is what sells currently. Many of them are not really online themselves besides streams, but have people running their OF, discords, social media etc. and chatting with customers as them, because being constantly online is expected from them, but not really doable for a person with bigger following, and that's what makes them money.

I completely get what you’re saying but I still think there’s a large part of truth to it. Yes a girl is always going to put a little extra emphasis on moans during a cum show or act particularly enthusiastic when addressing the bigger tippers in the room - it’s kind of difficult not to because you’re literally engaging with a camera. But I still think there’s a large part of truth to it. Young people on tiktok, YouTube, and twitch are the same way - and I’m not just talking the bigger accounts, it’s also the smaller ones just doing this for fun not worried about money.

Yes OF is often run by professionals because honestly it’s a lot of work, but in smaller communities I’ve found the discords to be real. The girls honestly aren’t really on that much because they’re already so busy - it’s mostly the guys talking among themselves. But the point is that the girl is still easily available 24/7, or can hop in occasionally when she’s sad or post everyday pictures of her day, or put on movie streams or paid “dates” where you eat dinner together or whatever. It’s the kind of stuff you don’t have to worry about sharing with “Chat” who pays to see you naked, is always encouraging you, and always there to listen to you vent about your day but a regular irl person would probably find it needy or be judgmental (or just not care what she has to say) over the oversharing. The point is ease of availability compared to just being able to contact them when they are streaming. Most likely the girl has other interests other than just engaging with followers 24/7 as I can definitely imagine how that’d be exhausting.

I’m not saying everyone is like this, there are still 18 year olds partying, doing drugs, committing crimes, traveling around Asia.. but it’s generally known that the 18 year olds of 2022 are the 12 year olds of 2003. A LOT of them lack basic life skills or sociable skills. I had a shirt fling with an 18 year old girl 2 years ago when I was 22 and it was honestly eye opening. She didn’t have her license (I gave her a couple driving lessons), could barely hold a conversation, etc. yet they’re still as horny as ever and instead of wanting to go outside and practice driving a lot of the time she begged me to stay in bed with her (my house because she lived with her 30 year old sister) and have sex all day and sit on our phones together and order pizza. And even then she inevitably was still talking to other people throughout this and had no problem leaving me for a 30 year old man (I’m not bitter we weren’t dating or anything yet anyway). A lot of young people today 18-25 both boys and girls just have severe mommy/daddy issues in general too.

 

[RuthStrawberryblonde]

Covid shifted things forward 5 or 10 years in 5 or 10 weeks, motivated people to get online. Although I wasn't a cam or phone chat provider pre-covid I have been very much online since 1998 when forced by uni I took myself to the computer labs most days over the Christmas holidays. A few years later but I worked for an SEO followed by a big ISP. Right from the start I shopped online, used forums then later accessed services online using MSN, Skype etc then the year before the pandemic went on a training course in delivering a service in an online format. Since the pandemic I doubt I will ever attend a group inperson yoga or meditation class again, most of the training courses I attend online although I do have an in person conference coming up shortly. Quite excited about it.

As a RL sex worker I never saw myself as a cammer although a previous partner had suggested it as an alternative, when lockdown happened I decided I would launch myself into the camming and phone chat world. I now also offer emails, sexting, video and photo packages. I just keep developing. The online work reduces my Covid and illness risk, and means I can be very flexible, I have a choice and I like learning about technology whilst being creative.

Enough of me it's been great to read experiences of members who've worked throughout for 5, 10 years even longer. I wish I had started sooner but sometimes I need a kick to venture forward.

 

[inertvolcano]

I think @_mika_ nailed it. The Twitch e-girl thing is really popular right now. But you know what you won't see on your favorite e-girl's Twitch stream? Boob flashes or deep throating dildos. I think what you're seeing are cam models either strategically filling that role, or doing so because that kind of streaming is what they watch and know so they're modelling their own shows after it. It is a cultural shift but just in the way that popular trends are always changing and moving. Eventually the trends will change toward something different - Vtubers probably, so everyone get your anime avatars ready.

 

[Lou_King_]

I'm a user, not a model; I'm happily married, and I'm somewhat older than the demographic you described, @WarmWaters . And still, I feel in tune with the type of people you were talking about. I've always been way more sociable online rather than offline, and I really value what I have shared with others this way, and the people I've met like that as well. Cough cough! I'm now getting to know people on a forum I just joined... it's called Amber Cutie's Forum.

Personally, I prefer avoiding the oppostion real/virtual life. Virtual doesn't necessarily mean "made up in your head". Actions really do take place over the web and on apps, and they do have meaningful consequences. That's why I prefer offline/online or in person/online.

@WarmWaters , I had not heard about movie nights and online dates with cam models prefer. I'd love to check it out! Do you remember the model's name? I hope you can let me know here on the thread or through a private conversation, if you prefer

 

[yummybrownfox]

She was trying to come up with ideas for movie nights on Discord or even give the ability to go on a “dates” on Discord by eating dinner together or just calling for and talking together for an hour, and she couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to do these things with Chat.

A while ago (In either 2020 or 2021) I had an MFC member who won a one-on-one virtual Hulu movie date with me, because he was my highest tipper of the month. I was going to have him choose the movie we watch, and allow him to video chat with me using a live video chat platform. But he never did redeem it with me, even after I reminded him several times in the public chat and via PMs. So I figured either he just wasn't interested in doing it (Just wanted to tip me because he appreciated me, and didn't expect that in return), or he just didn't know how to do it (I would've showed him). I currently have that listed on MFC Share for 4,000 tokens ($200 in my pocket), even though I know ain't nobody tipping me that much money.

 

[mika_kedi]

The point is ease of availability compared to just being able to contact them when they are streaming. Most likely the girl has other interests other than just engaging with followers 24/7 as I can definitely imagine how that’d be exhausting.

This is literally the point. Yes, it is exhausting. Yes, they have other interests. But this is their job and constant engagement is what many customers expect these days.

Popularity of OnlyFans where you pay a small monthly fee, get new content all the time and can chat with creators had a lot to do with it. That's the way to compete with each other on oversaturated market for many of online SWers - being online more, offering more content, more attention for lower price. I personally didn't go into SW to work long and exhausting hours and that is not exactly my hustle, but it is what's happening and ESPECIALLY smaller creators often have to fight tooth and nail to make enough money to survive (and they can't afford to pay someone to help them). So sometimes we are available online more than we'd like to and pretend we enjoy it.

I could write a post about "change in culture among new generation of customers" and it would be just other side of the same coin.

 

[rockin_rod]

So sometimes we are available online more than we'd like to and pretend we enjoy it.

I have total respect for the way so many models accept the intrusion of these demands into their personal life.
My friend has given me some insight into how this impacts on her ability to relax and feel like she has time away from work, even so she has a low number of followers compared to some.
Owing to worldwide time differences, and changeable work/lifestyle patterns, followers expect immediate access, and her phone is constantly sounding incoming alerts.
She worries so much about losing support to other content creators that she finds it hard to set boundaries for replying to messages and posting updates.

 

[RuthStrawberryblonde]

I have total respect for the way so many models accept the intrusion of these demands into their personal life.
My friend has given me some insight into how this impacts on her ability to relax and feel like she has time away from work, even so she has a low number of followers compared to some.
Owing to worldwide time differences, and changeable work/lifestyle patterns, followers expect immediate access, and her phone is constantly sounding incoming alerts.
She worries so much about losing support to other content creators that she finds it hard to set boundaries for replying to messages and posting updates.

I have had guys upset because I haven't replied to DMs on say Streamate, Instagram and tt. Next message is "Are you ignoring me?". Very frustrating,