‘Cam Girls and Adult Performers Are Enjoying a Boom in Business’: The Reportage on the Pandemic Impact on Virtual Sex Work

Abstract

Introduction: Webcamming as a digital practice has increased in popularity over the last decade. With the outbreak COVID-19 and lockdowns across the globe, cam sites experienced an upsurge in both performers and viewers, and the main platform OnlyFans, increased its market share and saturation. The objective of this study was to explore the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent economic hardship, on indirect and digitally mediated sex work. In doing so, it also explored the mediatisation of the creators of erotic content and their marketing on OnlyFans. Method: Data was collected from news media outlets on the effects of the outbreak of the virus on the online sex industry. Mainstream media news articles (N = 40) were drawn from 19 different sources that discussed changes occurring in the digitally mediated sex market during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was drawn from across the political spectrum and type of media source to include broadsheet, tabloid, and regional news as well as broadcast media. The dataset was divided into two and independently analysed by two different researchers analysing 20 sources each. Analysis was conducted using Grounded Theory, an inductive approach frequently used due to aid concept development, as the aim was to develop theory on the mediatisation of the experiences and process of virtual sex work without drawing on sex workers’ own resources at a time crucial to their income. Results: The findings revealed reportage of increased engagement in digital sex work in three areas: expansion of the online sex service sites; new digital sex workers joining the industry; and those who provided online sex services prior to the pandemic. A continuum of experiences emerged and the results show how online sex workers reportedly monetised the loneliness of clients and how new fetishes such as illness and Covid fetishes emerged. Conclusions: Given the remarkable success of adult websites amid the pandemic, this research provides new evidence on the reportage of the use of cam sites, and OnlyFans in particular. The findings provides new data on how digital sex workers’ experiences were represented during the pandemic and reveal a nuanced picture behind the upsurge in online work. News media outlets are crucial in the social construction of online sex work and have the power to affect peoples’ perception of this work. Additionally, press articles can provide a space where sex workers’ voices can be heard. It is therefore a key area to examine in relation to the public opinion of sex work, which in turn affects public policy, and its decriminalisation and eventual destigmatisation. These findings add to our understanding of erotic services and contribute to the growing literature on the mediatization of sex work. The study contributes new knowledge to the topic although further investigation is needed to achieve potential mainstreaming and destigmatisation for digital sex workers.