Everyone understands why artists and creators put their pornographic or other NSFW (not safe for work) content on OnlyFans. But it’s less clear why creators who only create SFW (safe for work) content would want to do so as well. You might assume that they’d prefer something like TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram instead so their art can be seen by more people. But OnlyFans didn’t start as a distribution channel for amateur porn, and there are so many factors that people overlook when it comes to creating content and sharing it online.
Why Artificial Intelligence Is Such a Concern for Creators
One of the more recent factors that many creators worry about is the use of artificial intelligence. Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, uses public posts and images from both platforms to train its artificial intelligence models. They report that this data is used to develop and improve Meta’s generative AI features, such as chatbots and image generation tools, but many creators are frustrated that their art is being used in this way and it is nearly impossible to opt-out without removing all your content and deleting your account.
Meta isn’t the only tech giant that trains its models on the free, publicly available content made by independent creators. Other companies are scraping the internet to train their own AI, and creators don’t have a way to opt in or opt out.
One of the founder members of the European Guild for Artificial Intelligence Regulation (EGAIR) is Eva Toorent who spoke up about the problem in an interview. She explained that many artists believe that AI companies should be required to have artist’s consent before using their work. As an artist herself, she believes that “If I’m the owner, I should decide what happens to my art.”
Unfortunately, putting your art anywhere behind a paywall still leaves it open to be scraped. And while a paywall may not be enough to stop a determined thief, it does at least ensure the artist is getting paid as that is another reason many creators are flocking to OnlyFans.
While some platforms allow for paid subscription-based support like OnlyFans, the process and user interface is usually more complicated for everyone. And although platforms like TikTok and YouTube can be monetized with ads, affiliate marketing and brand deals, it’s hard to rely on that income as it isn’t stable. Some months may be amazing while others fall well short of previous months. Using OnlyFans allows creators several options to be directly compensated for their work, whether it’s with a monthly subscription or a la carte works of art.
Professional artists and creators also like OnlyFans because it is a platform for adults who have purchasing power. If you’ve ever been in a comment section on TikTok, you know how quickly things can go awry when minors (or adults without jobs and hobbies) start interacting with content that wasn’t created for them – from trolling to mass reporting to doxing. OnlyFans requires age verification, ensuring that only adults will have access to content.
The average American podcast host has long been frustrated by Meta, TikTok, and YouTube for their sometimes strict, often arbitrary enforcement of their ever-changing community standards. What goes viral for one creator gets another banned. Fortunately for OnlyFans creators, the terms of service are clear, mass reporting of content is rare, and a creator is less likely to be banned for one perceived infraction.
And finally, creators want community. Frankly, everyone is craving community right now, whether they realize it or not. And OnlyFans allows creators to build a community around their content. Creators can share their process, not just the finished product, and connect their fans with each other.