I think it's annoying that "e-pimps" get this kind of positive/neutral press in an article that goes on to plainly state how exploitative they can be. When the actual workers are discussed, the media still tends to paint us in a negative light, or dig for a dramatic/traumatic storyline even where there may be none. Not necessarily here, but when we are the focus instead of the non-performers in the adult industry. I don't want negative press for e-pimps, that isn't the point. Anyway. So that is my initial thought.
And this is not the coolest characterization of who consumes this content:
Chatters also offer creators a buffer from their subscribers, who can be rude, stingy or worse. “Are you constantly glued to your phone negotiating pricing for custom videos with hundreds of broke, lonely creeps? Sounds fun!” reads a post on Think Expansion’s website, touting its services to models.
They always seem to want to highlight the worst fringe situations that could possibly occur in the industry, ignoring all the normal day-to-day stuff. But it's all about page views, right?
The particular dude this article is about gives me dislike vibes, but maybe that's just about my feelings. Don't love his idolization of Jordan Belfort, or the way he talks about the consumers, that's all kinda gross. But from a self-proclaimed e-pimp, that tracks.
Selling content as custom when it wasn't is a shit move.
Other than that, I don't really care about performers hiring out some of the massive workload it takes to maintain a large following. Par for the course in our world. Ideally, this enhances the consumer's positive experience in the exchange. I got curious because the article says of the e-pimp business model,
Awkward because OnlyFans markets itself as providing the infrastructure for authentic, personal connections between creators and their fans.
which seemed a bit off to me honestly. It would be silly for any platform to require this, if they want to have anyone making the really big bucks. But the article goes on to make pretty much the same point. So I did some reading. From OF's about page,
Unlike other social platforms, OnlyFans is welcoming of all creator genres and their content. The platform is designed to optimize creator engagement. When a creator posts, over 60% of their fans see and interact with the content. Over 80% of direct messages sent by creators are seen and opened. Over 100 creators have earned over $1 million since monetizing their content on OnlyFans. The platform continues to grow as more creators are using content as a way to connect with their fans.
I don't see a single mention of direct fan-creator interaction. Basically just says, we push
your content to make more money.
And while I understand that some consumers might care more than others about interacting with the person portrayed in the imagery... There is just as big a market of those who don't know or don't care, and above all, can't imagine there is a single second in the day that the object of their erection might not be able to fulfill their wishes for $2. So I can see why there is a big enough market for this.
I'd rather more people who have actually been performers were the ones stepping into these positions/creating them for themselves, like they mentioned Riley Reid has done (though without the chatters). I love to see performers making the move into other parts of the business, or inventing new ones. Less gross e-pimp situations that way.
