The ‘E-Pimps’ of OnlyFans - The New York Times

Some claim they’re already routing around OnlyFans’ prohibition by having a lone human press Send on thousands of AI-generated messages.

Once upon a time, the Internet was predicated on user-generated content. The hope was that ordinary people would take advantage of the Web’s low barrier for publishing to post great things, motivated simply by the joy of open communication. But then ad sales came into play.

That business model is still what most of the Internet relies on today. Rev... See more

Creators, who once felt like far-away friends sharing their authentic selves, slowly started monetizing every post, every outfit, every “casual” recommendation. The personal connection we felt was being recalibrated into a business model. They weren't just sharing their lives, they were capitalizing off of them, turning personal narratives into luc... See more

“OnlyFans commoditized intimacy. It’s a tale as old as time—people are willing to pay for things they need, and they need intimacy and connection now more than ever. It seems capitalism slowly works its way up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and we’ve hit the Love & Belonging rung of the ladder with dating apps, paid communities, and fan subscript... See more

Somehow, the oldest and most reliably profitable product in history, commercial sex, was unprofitable for all but a handful of anonymous disruptors. Curiously, or maybe not, I found the same disruption at work once I went “legit.” As a mainstream journalist, I covered tech, advertising, law, and personal finance. Each beat was unique, but always my

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As large platforms get richer off their users’ personal data and time, people are trying to regain control. We spent the last fifteen years working for gig money, likes, retweets, or follows. The platforms gave us reputation or cash, but no ownership, upside, or voice in its evolution.

“The complex web of human interactions that thrived on the internet’s initial technological diversity is now corralled into globe-spanning data-extraction engines making huge fortunes for a tiny few.”