I just browsed all which I rarely do, but the whole scaled feed was filled with nsfw posts from lemmit.online. What’s up with this instance? It seems they repost everything from reddit to their own instance? It really feels like those instances should be defederated but I at least blocked it myself.
I’ve honestly been considering that line of work myself for the last couple of years because I’m reaching the point of last resorts. So I’ve spent the last couple of years lurking in the spaces where creators discuss the business so that I can learn from them. And also because I like to enlighten myself with what people from completely different walks of life are doing and saying.
And maybe that’s why I’m currently looking at them as human beings that are trying to make a living and not objects that everyone is entitled to for free.
I think a lot of people think that these creators are raking in thousands of dollars a day because of one or two success stories in the media years ago when OnlyFans was new. But these guys work fucking hard and often go through months where they’re battling to put food on the table. So personally, I think it’s pretty fucking shitty that a bot is taking all of their promo work and posting it here where people will never even look at their links.
And yeah, no one has disagreed here directly to me but I’ve seen what people are saying about it in other places here on Lemmy.
Agreed. I mean I don’t think the general public is even concerned with that. For 99% of people, NSFW is visiting a porn streaming site, and they get whatever they’re interested in. And for free. That’s the expectation.
I think the BBC did a good documentary on NSFW creators a few years back. I can’t remember the name. But what they depicted wasn’t success stories. It was one gay couple who were very successful, with a very nice fanbase… But all the other people they showed didn’t get rich or anything especially after the 20% cut and taxes. Plus there’s expectations from the audience and lots of competition. Seemed like really hard work, sometimes with severe downsides (sometimes not so much). And some of them struggled and the text card at the end said they quit after filming of the documentary. I might misremember the details. But at least that depiction of OnlyFans seemed more honest to me. And they were all putting in a good amount of time and it weighed down on their lifes, friendships and often relationships.
I’ve also seen a bit of what happens on Reddit. But all I’ve seen is using that platform to advertise for a paid account on a different platform. Seems to me it’s often one or two pictures and an onlyfans link somewhere. So I’d say it’s more advertising material than proper content on Reddit. At least if it’s the creators themselves. Other people just steal arbitrary content and repost that somewhere. The majority doesn’t seem to care for copyright too much. At least that’s what I’ve seen on the more popular subs. But as I said, I’ve just had a glimpse at it, I might be wrong. But if it’s true, it’s a systemic problem. And it starts on platforms like Reddit itself. (And another thing I learned is that Twitter got used for NSFW as well, like for videos, animations and by people who create adult games on Patreon.) But I bet you don’t need to worry about explaining whether it’s alright to steal advertising material, if the whole situation is like it is.
Yeah they’re basically on any platform that will accommodate them. When they’re not filming anything, the bulk of their work is marketing. Their advertising material on Reddit (and other places) is what leads to money in their bank accounts. Their advertising material on Reddit being taken and posted here leads to no money in their bank accounts.
I think that apart from people just generally not caring how they get the content they want, people also just have zero respect for these workers. They don’t see them as fellow human beings trying to live. Or as deserving of credit or respect as other types of content creators such as artists, musicians and talentless jackasses that complain about the woke agenda on YouTube. They’re just something to bust a nut to for these people but not real.
I’m not sure that I can really blame people’s attitudes towards it though. We’ve all been kinda trained by endless scrolling porn sites to expect it all to be easy and free. And I can’t say that I wouldn’t have also been dismissing this as not a big deal if I hadn’t taken the time to get to know what these people are all about on a different level. I probably would’ve still been under the assumption that they’re raking in endless cash and living easy.
So yeah. It’s probably futile trying to change people’s attitudes towards it. And it’s probably a problem that will never go away and is just part of the game.
I’m not sure whether it’s futile. I mean societal change happens. And it’s a big step forwards that we have these platforms where independant creators get 80% revenue of a monthly subscription. A few years ago, stuff was just pirated, even on the big regular sites. Plus there wasn’t a good way to do it directly. You had to get into the porn industry and get paid for some DVD production. And as far as I understand, the porn industry is super problematic. So I’d say we’re making progress. But educating people… Idk, it’s always hard. Maybe futile, yeah. This isn’t my fight. I’ve tried lecturing people on other topics and I found it’s almost impossible to change the world. At least on a bigger scale. And if you’re involved yourself, progress always feels painfully slow. I don’t know what to make of this. I still refuse to resign with some topics.
Even if it’s futile, I probably still won’t be able to keep my mouth shut about it lol. I do enough keeping my mouth shut in the real world, in a country where you have to assume that everyone you meet has conservative views until proven otherwise. So I’m not going to do that to myself online as well. It just feels wrong to me to not at least try when there’s an injustice going on because the easiest way for nothing to change is for no one to even try and change things.
And you’re right, things are at least better for amateur workers now than they were before. So that is progress. Although from what I’ve gathered, OnlyFans isn’t completely immune to dodgy shit either. I’ve come across a couple of stories involving practically human trafficking situations where women are forced into this by pimps and other pieces of shit. So you never really know what’s going on behind the scenes when the camera switches off and the put on smile goes away.
Which is why it’s also just more ethical to get this content from the content creators themselves rather than random 3rd party websites that lift content from elsewhere. At least if you’re getting it from the source, you can have some sense of whether it passes the vibe check or not.
Also, just want to add because I just thought of it. Places that set up bots that lift amateur content from around the web aren’t checking for vibes or doing their homework. So they’re the kinds of places that would be peddling pictures of abuse or trafficking victims, or even underage people, without even knowing it. Or caring.
The whole thing just gives me the creeps. I’m fine with people stealing from Brazzers or whatever because those workers have already been paid and you’re stealing from the suits that get rich off them. But amateur stuff just has too many variables and ethical concerns for me to be comfortable with people treating it the same way as Brazzers.
Thanks for the nice conversation, btw. I’ve learned a few things. Yeah, and some things you said just reinforce what I’ve already read elsewhere. And I also think it’s a shame that the entire field is more often that not connected with bad working conditions, and it’s hard to change due to the very nature of it. Plus it’s an extra shame that organized crime has ties. And they won’t let go, no matter what. From what I’ve read it’s even worse in other parts of the world. And that’s kind of always the case with the internet, since it spans across the globe.
But sure, I wholeheartedly agree. It’s an entirely different story whether you rip off some faceless large (and rich) company. Or do the very same thing to an amateur, or your neighbour. I think that’s not controversial. I also know lots of people who are less concerned with pirating like Hollywood movies or AAA games, but they won’t do the same to an indie game developer or something like that. But it requires some amount of thinking and awareness…
And circling back to the topic at hand… Does anyone know the admin of that instance, or operator of the bot? Maybe they’re just oblivious to the fact, yet willing to learn? We could request the amateur communities to be removed from the bot. If someone compiles a list. Or just ask them whether they’re willing to do it, before investing the effort. I’m not sure if I’m the right person for that, since I have close to no knowledge about the details. And I’m still not convinced of the importance of that specific instance, since all the posts there have zero engagement and upvotes, and it seems to me like people already voted with their feet.
Edit: Nevermind, I’ve asked to remove them: https://lemmit.online/post/5153024
Likewise. It’s always appreciated when you can chat with someone without guards up and needing to counter snark and shit.
I get this bad feeling that they’re probably just going to tell you to get lost. I wouldn’t be surprised if the moderators of those subs have okayed it. Another common thing I saw creators complaining about was dodgy Reddit moderators. The moderators of those subs aren’t their friends or allies from what I can tell. If they’re not the usual assortment on Reddit who aren’t even part of the community but like power anyway, there’s also suspected ‘agencies’ or other bad actors running some of these subs and making life hard for people.
But I applaud you for doing this. And I would be amazed if it actually worked.