The future of camming business

[dogglius]

On the topic of models becoming more 'realistic' via 3D or holograms, and practically sitting in the members' living rooms...
What kind of psychological consequences do you guys think this might have on members? As we know there are a few members who develop an unhealthy attachment to models, try finding out their personal info, or get jealous when 'real' guys are involved in 'their' model's life.
Do you think this could get worse if cam feeds become more realistic-looking? Do you think the stronger bond members will feel to models might be dangerous?

It reminds me of Star Trek Voyager/TNG with Reginald Barclay being addicted to the holodeck.

People, lonely people especially, can and will get attached to holographic projections. Real 'live' feed or simulated, it wouldnt matter because they can find someone or something that will pander to what they're looking for.

Like dustinxxxizzle said, if they're that way already, technology wont really be a barrier to doing the same thing.

Technology in general makes the most money from communication. So anything that "improves" communication will be adopted for the porn industry pretty damn quickly.

-DP

 

[emptiedglass]

I can see Youtube getting into the cam business.
Of course, theirs will be mostly family-friendly.
On that note, Disney, too. Can you imagine a 5-year-old's delight at having a one-on-one video chat with Mickey for their birthday?

That's a cute idea.

In general, I think there should be more ways for non-nude, non-sexual performers, male or female, to make money with their webcam from home. Completely SFW, maybe even family-friendly camming.
But then again I don't see how people would be willing to pay for that. There would have to be some serious entertainment value in it. I mean, hell, most people don't even pay for listening to music or watching movies anymore, and we all know the average MFC visitor is a forever-guest.



On the topic of models becoming more 'realistic' via 3D or holograms, and practically sitting in the members' living rooms...
What kind of psychological consequences do you guys think this might have on members? As we know there are a few members who develop an unhealthy attachment to models, try finding out their personal info, or get jealous when 'real' guys are involved in 'their' model's life.
Do you think this could get worse if cam feeds become more realistic-looking? Do you think the stronger bond members will feel to models might be dangerous?

I think people might be willing to pay a moderate monthly fee, as they do with services like Netflix. There's also the free, ad-sponsored route, which seems to be working out pretty nicely for Google/Youtube.
Many of the cam shows I've watched lately have been PG-13, which I'm fine with. I'd have no objection to family-oriented webcam programming. Or a live, interactive comedy act that was meant for more mature audiences. Webcamming doesn't have to be all about adult entertainment (although there will probably always be a market for that, and I'll be a paying customer). I think it could very likely be the next step in so-called "reality tv."
I'm afraid of what might happen when technology advances far enough to make our entertainers too lifelike. Getting emotionally invested is easy enough with current technology. God help us if and when it gets easier.

 

[emptiedglass]

[Snip]

That's a good question! And to build on it - though I can see 3D, if it's video as opposed to stills, it really messes with my head and makes me extremely dizzy and nauseous - would holograms end up being like that, too? I saw The Amazing Spiderman in 3D because they weren't offering it in 2D, and even when they were just sitting around talking and Spiderman WASN'T swinging from buildings..... blurgh. Never again, 2D ONLY, please.

I totally empathize with this. The funny thing is, I didn't even truly know that I couldn't see 3D effects until a couple years ago when I went for my eye exam and they did the 3D test with the little dot on the sign. I was like, "Wait, am I supposed to be seeing something here?" "Yeah, it's supposed to pop out." I was so devastated, as I had a Nintento 3Ds pre-ordered as well. Also I remembered how in Elementary School, the classes would have those posters on the wall that just look like a bunch of dots at first glance, but you're supposed to be able to focus on it until you see a 3D image. I remember I didn't wanna feel left out, so when my friends would talk about it, I'd be like, "Yeah, I totally see it, too!" :lol:

When I was in high school, I bought a couple of greeting cards that had a 3D stereoscopic image on the front of them. I thought they were pretty cool, but it took about 2 years before I could get them to work for me. :lol:
Obviously, I ended up buying something a little more 'standard' for whichever friends' birthdays they were supposed to have been for. Pretty sure I still have those cards kicking around somewhere. :lol:

 

[pg240]

On the topic of models becoming more 'realistic' via 3D or holograms, and practically sitting in the members' living rooms...
What kind of psychological consequences do you guys think this might have on members? As we know there are a few members who develop an unhealthy attachment to models, try finding out their personal info, or get jealous when 'real' guys are involved in 'their' model's life.
Do you think this could get worse if cam feeds become more realistic-looking? Do you think the stronger bond members will feel to models might be dangerous?

I can see this being a problem, but at the same time if these people are already psycho, then they are going to be that way with or without this technology. Hopefully a few nuts don't stop potentially awesome progression.

I think the members who are susceptible to that sort of attachment would be affected to an even greater degree. And some who are not might even be lured into that sort of attachment. But, to a certain degree, that's human nature. People will try to bond wherever they can. If they're unable to do it in real life, they'll do it in the cyber world. Unfortunate, but true. I work at a media company, and the female TV reporters/anchors -- every one of them -- have stories of unsolicited and unwanted, creepy contact from male viewers. Some to the point of stalking. That behavior isn't limited to the online world. It's a societal problem and damn frightening.

 

[VeronicaChaos]

[Snip]

That's a good question! And to build on it - though I can see 3D, if it's video as opposed to stills, it really messes with my head and makes me extremely dizzy and nauseous - would holograms end up being like that, too? I saw The Amazing Spiderman in 3D because they weren't offering it in 2D, and even when they were just sitting around talking and Spiderman WASN'T swinging from buildings..... blurgh. Never again, 2D ONLY, please.

I totally empathize with this. The funny thing is, I didn't even truly know that I couldn't see 3D effects until a couple years ago when I went for my eye exam and they did the 3D test with the little dot on the sign. I was like, "Wait, am I supposed to be seeing something here?" "Yeah, it's supposed to pop out." I was so devastated, as I had a Nintento 3Ds pre-ordered as well. Also I remembered how in Elementary School, the classes would have those posters on the wall that just look like a bunch of dots at first glance, but you're supposed to be able to focus on it until you see a 3D image. I remember I didn't wanna feel left out, so when my friends would talk about it, I'd be like, "Yeah, I totally see it, too!" :lol:

 

[Sevrin]

Oh, there was something else I was wondering about, but not sure what the impact would be of mobile computing, specifically tablets. Phones kind of suck on MFC, even on a decentish (720p) Android phone, and I've never wanted to log in since it's just too awkward to both chat and see what else was going in, although just guesting works okay, I guess, especially if you just want to see who is online. I haven't bought a tablet, but I imagine that it's a little better with one of those. Flash still works well on Android devices using non-Chrome browsers, especially on the newer, zippier devices, although you have to go looking for it now. MFC on Android, without Flash, is pretty awful.

I've wondered for a long time why MFC has not been more aggressive in pursuing mobile perving, as I think the first site that nails that will be very successful. Tablets, for instance, could open up a whole POV-type experience for those who like that type of thing, and it seems a popular niche with recorded porn. POV kind of begs for fullscreen support, and that's iffy at the moment. It would really need a dedicated app, as far as I can tell, and none of the big sites have put one out, that I know of.

Models might get some use out of mobile devices, although I'm not sure that there would be tons of benefits other than when they want to take their show on the road. Shows in public places are tricky from a legal standpoint, and being primarily handheld devices, they might be awkward to use. They can be used as mobile hotspots, for a laptop, but you don't really need a mobile device if you have another source of wireless internet.

Anyway, that's something that might have an impact in the short, rather than the long term, considering how quickly people are transitioning from traditional computers to mobile devices.

In any event, the *biggest* change will still likely be with regard to camming in the public consciousness, and not any technological innovation. It won't be all positive.

Camming will become more known and better understood, but will also come under closer scrutiny. There will be underage camming scandals. There will be tragic incidents. There will be well-publicized instances of exploitation, in particular with regard to developing-world camming. There will be people pulling public stunts who will get caught, and news media will pick up on it with gusto. It doesn't take a lot of gossip-worthy incidents for a little-understood activity to get stigmatized as outrageously perverted.

Come to think of it, these may be the good old days of camming.

PS: I've checked out the LJ app, but only on a phone, and don't care much for LJ, so I can't speak to how LJ users find it.

 

[mynameisbob84]

Webcamming doesn't have to be all about adult entertainment

Live bands, man. That could be great. They sometimes broadcast parts of a gig live on youtube but a whole site devoted to live music would be awesome. I'd pay a monthly subscription to something like that. At any given time there could be a dozen live stadium shows being broadcast, a live stream from some shithole bar as a band takes to the stage, a band playing in a friend's basement at a house party, even someone playing a gig in his/her bedroom.
Maybe not with the bigger shows, but certainly the smaller ones, there could be an interactive element. Tip for song requests and the like. And maybe bigger, established artists could do exclusive live shows from their home studios. Play a few songs, tamke a few requests, do a live Q&A at the end of it. They could even do an MFC private-style pay-per-minute/pay-per-request type dealie.

 

[dustinxxxizzle]

Webcamming doesn't have to be all about adult entertainment

Live bands, man. That could be great. They sometimes broadcast parts of a gig live on youtube but a whole site devoted to live music would be awesome. I'd pay a monthly subscription to something like that. At any given time there could be a dozen live stadium shows being broadcast, a live stream from some shithole bar as a band takes to the stage, a band playing in a friend's basement at a house party, even someone playing a gig in his/her bedroom.
Maybe not with the bigger shows, but certainly the smaller ones, there could be an interactive element. Tip for song requests and the like. And maybe bigger, established artists could do exclusive live shows from their home studios. Play a few songs, tamke a few requests, do a live Q&A at the end of it. They could even do an MFC private-style pay-per-minute/pay-per-request type dealie.

Show snare drums, bb.

Can I take the band private? :?

 

[Just Me]

That's a lot of work to avoid making an intelligent argument.

I don't know about that. It only took a few minutes, and I think it argued my point quite intelligently...and eloquently too.

I'm guessing you got the general gist of it all.

Where is my flying car? :lol:

 

[emptiedglass]

Show snare drums, bb.

Can I take the band private? :?

That might cost a pretty penny if they're a popular one. :-D

 

[SaffronBurke]

That's a lot of work to avoid making an intelligent argument.

I don't know about that. It only took a few minutes, and I think it argued my point quite intelligently...and eloquently too.

I'm guessing you got the general gist of it all.

Where is my flying car? :lol:

I've been asking that question for about 4 years now. Where's my flying car, my jetpack, and my house on the moon? WTF, technology, you're slacking!

 

[emptiedglass]

I've been asking that question for about 4 years now. Where's my flying car, my jetpack, and my house on the moon? WTF, technology, you're slacking!

The thought of flying cars has always terrified me. There are tons of maniacs on the roads... do you really want to see these same imbeciles in the air?

 

[TacoBelle]

Webcamming doesn't have to be all about adult entertainment

Live bands, man. That could be great.

I actually have had a few ideas like this, personally. I don't know if you're familiar with Hannah Hart from My Drunk Kitchen...



Anyway, I was going to try to see if MFC would allow me to have celebrities on cam with me (cooking with Hannah, FAQ hangouts with bands, etc)... but I'm pretty sure they would say no. So I set aside that idea for fear of rejection. :crybaby:

 

[mynameisbob84]

Webcamming doesn't have to be all about adult entertainment

Live bands, man. That could be great.

I actually have had a few ideas like this, personally. I don't know if you're familiar with Hannah Hart from My Drunk Kitchen...



Anyway, I was going to try to see if MFC would allow me to have celebrities on cam with me (cooking with Hannah, FAQ hangouts with bands, etc)... but I'm pretty sure they would say no. So I set aside that idea for fear of rejection. :crybaby:

I wasn't familiar wither her but she's awesome :-D

If it makes them money and it's legal, MFC would probably go for it. I'd guess they'd need to confirm that the guest is who they say they are and they're over 18 first, but I could see them going for it. Providing the guest is female anyway. They're probably not gonna be letting any doods on cam any time soon.

 

[emptiedglass]

I would go for it, Iris.
If they say no, they say no. It's not like they're going to punish you for asking a valid question.

 

[Shaun__]

Webcamming doesn't have to be all about adult entertainment

Live bands, man. That could be great.

I actually have had a few ideas like this, personally. I don't know if you're familiar with Hannah Hart from My Drunk Kitchen...



Anyway, I was going to try to see if MFC would allow me to have celebrities on cam with me (cooking with Hannah, FAQ hangouts with bands, etc)... but I'm pretty sure they would say no. So I set aside that idea for fear of rejection. :crybaby:

I do not know if you would make any money, but MFC allows people to cam from conventions with random people walking around. If you really want to do it, I think you should ask them.

 

[LadyLuna]

Iris dear,

All you gotta do is send support an email saying "Is this allowed?" as the title, and your proposal in it. Mention your idea of how to make money with it (or how it will result in more money long-term), and see if they're cool with it. I promise they'll get back to you.

When I ask a question, and it's against the rules, they quote the rule that it violates, and I thank them for their time. When I ask a question and they can't see how it works, they simply say "That's not possible". I have not yet gotten banned, or even noticed them watching me to make sure I don't do it. I guess they figure if I'm asking permission, it means they won't ban me for doing it.

Now, the hard part, is asking Hannah and/or the band you have in mind. But I promise you, MFC support is very good about this. They'd much rather you ask than just go ahead and do something they'll have to ban you for!

 

[southsamurai]

curvyredhead: in her thread she wrote:

I am intending this is more a fun discussion/survey rather then a ball of depression...but i want honest answers!

It was not so long ago that being a camgirl meant setting up a 24/7 cam (or more) in your home in a much more "lifecamming" way.
I am super interested to see how both models and members see this industry which are are biulding and creative, shaping and molding change/endup etc

Where do you the camming industry going in the next 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?

What are some major changes you think will come sooner rather then later?

What are some major or non major changes you have already seen take place since beginning to cam?




i like her format so im going to repond to it here in this thread, but by her guidelines.


5 years down the road.: not much outward change.the format will still be sites like MFC and streamate etc predominating the field, with other little guys sniping out little chunks for themselves. technology should improve enough that a major part of the cam economy will begin to be driven by interactive toys. skin suits by then should be ready to go to market, but wont be popular yet.

10 years down the road the next wave of tech is going to make a big big splash. at present we're about 8 years from the next hardware breakthrough which will triple to quadruple processing speeds. this will allow massive files to be transferred and stored quickly. by then bodysuits keyed to erogenous zones will be available, though probably still expensive as all hell. the cam model of the day will be less a live performer and more a recording star. taking data off of her activities to meld with that of the users for private pleasure.
the live portion of things should stay similar in methodology. what will change big there is that we should be approaching 3-d transmissions via holographic/gram technology.
assuming that law lags behind tech as usual i foresee a big swing in e-prostitution around this time. two strangers in full tactile suits run by magnetic induction could have sex together and be miles apart. the sensation would translate fairly directly depending on the "toys" attached. (assuming magnetic induction is safe enough... right now its undiscovered country)

20 years and i think that cam modeling will be gone in any form we would recognize it in. sites like MFC and such will have to gear themselves to more individualized transactions, becoming virtual brothels of a sort. the type of interactive camming we have today will be tame in comparison to fully immersive 3-d holographs and i imagine that we pervs will be using such tech on a one at a time basis, paying for conversation and interaction with one model at a time, not more chat room style entertainment.

 

[emptiedglass]

There was a short story I vaguely remember reading a long time ago where a guy and a girl meet, and exchange files. They never truly meet again, but the files they shared contain everything (personality, memories, all physical attributes, etc.), so they get to 'interact' with each other as much as they want in VR happily ever after.
I can see technology eventually reaching that point.

 

[Diego]

What about Skype? In see the immediate future I see alot of interactions being done through Skype. MFC will more or less be a lobby. I think the only thing missing now is a mutually excepted way to transfer money.

 

[Shaun__]

What about Skype? In see the immediate future I see alot of interactions being done through Skype. MFC will more or less be a lobby. I think the only thing missing now is a mutually excepted way to transfer money.

There is already an excepted way of exchanging money. The model requests tokens, and the member then takes exception to it.

 

[Diego]

I was thinking of one where 50% doesn't go to someone else.

 

[CallMeWilliam]

Webcamming doesn't have to be all about adult entertainment

Live bands, man. That could be great. They sometimes broadcast parts of a gig live on youtube but a whole site devoted to live music would be awesome. I'd pay a monthly subscription to something like that. At any given time there could be a dozen live stadium shows being broadcast, a live stream from some shithole bar as a band takes to the stage, a band playing in a friend's basement at a house party, even someone playing a gig in his/her bedroom.
Maybe not with the bigger shows, but certainly the smaller ones, there could be an interactive element. Tip for song requests and the like. And maybe bigger, established artists could do exclusive live shows from their home studios. Play a few songs, tamke a few requests, do a live Q&A at the end of it. They could even do an MFC private-style pay-per-minute/pay-per-request type dealie.

It's called UStream or LiveStream... I have watched a few bands and comedy shows live from a bar in Kelowna BC (via LiveStream) at the same time a good friend of mine (she actually lives in Kelowna) is at the bar. We DM each other on twitter during the shows. Not the same as being there with her but we have a good time chatting and listening to the same show.