# "Nudes? Shouldn't I charge for these?" : Motivations of New Sexual Content Creators on OnlyFans

**Authors:** Vaughn Hamilton, Ananta Soneji, Allison McDonald, Elissa Redmiles  
**arXiv:** [2205.10425](https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.10425)  
**Date:** 2022-05-20  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2205.10425v2/

## Key points

- OnlyFans has become one of the fastest growing platforms for sexual content, with over 1.5 million creators.
- The study explores the motivations of creators who had not previously engaged in sex work but joined OnlyFans.
- Participants were motivated by societal visibility and mainstream acceptance of OnlyFans.
- Platform design and affordances, such as boundary setting and privacy features, were also motivating factors.
- The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for individuals to generate income through OnlyFans when traditional employment options were limited.
- This study provides insights into why individuals are drawn to the unique intersection between professional social media content creation and sex work on OnlyFans.

## Summary

In their study titled "Nudes? : Motivations of New Sexual Content Creators on OnlyFans", authors Vaughn Hamilton, Ananta Soneji, Allison McDonald and Elissa Redmiles explore the motivations of creators who had not previously engaged in sex work but joined the popular subscription-based social media platform OnlyFans. With over 1.5 million content creators, OnlyFans has become one of the fastest growing platforms primarily associated with sexual content. The unique positioning of OnlyFans creators at the intersection of professional social media content creation and sex work prompted the researchers to investigate their motivations. Through qualitative interviews with 22 U.S.-based OnlyFans creators, the study reveals that beyond typical gig work motivations such as flexibility and autonomy, participants were driven by three key factors. Firstly, societal visibility and mainstream acceptance of OnlyFans played a significant role in motivating individuals to join the platform. The increasing normalization and acceptance of this type of content creation influenced their decision. Secondly, participants highlighted platform design and affordances as motivating factors. Features like boundary setting with clients, privacy from the public and content archives provided a sense of control over their work environment. These aspects allowed creators to establish clear boundaries while maintaining privacy and control over their content. Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic created an enormous opportunity for individuals to overcome lockdown-related challenges through OnlyFans. The platform offered a means to generate income during a time when traditional employment options were limited or inaccessible due to restrictions. Overall, this study sheds light on the motivations behind new sexual content creators joining OnlyFans who had not previously engaged in sex work. By understanding these motivations beyond typical gig work factors, it provides valuable insights into why individuals are drawn to this unique intersection between professional social media content creation and sex work within the context of societal acceptance, platform design features and pandemic-related opportunities.