OnlyFans: How Models Negotiate Fan Interaction

Abstract

OnlyFans is a social media platform that allows individuals to sell subscription access to content and interact with subscribers. While open to all forms of creators, OnlyFans has become synonymous with pornographic and erotic content, particularly during its growth over the Covid-19 pandemic. Models on OnlyFans are paid by fans to provide an experience which is tailored to the fantasy of the fan. This study employed a qualitative reflexive thematic analysis to examine the complexities of creator-fan interactions, the challenges faced by models, and their strategies in managing those interactions. Seven Ireland-based OnlyFans models (87.5% cis-women), participated in semi-structured interviews via social media. Findings identified four key challenge domains: boundaries, exposure, impression management, and interaction. Models strategised in a number of ways, such as clarifying boundaries, protecting identities, managing impressions, and confining fan interactions to the platform itself. However, the ambiguous nature of the roles in this fan-model dynamic, often culminated in blurred lines between fantasy and reality, leading to boundary violations and problematic fan-model relationships. This dynamic has striking parallels with the challenges experienced between influencers and celebrities with their fans, emphasizing the universal nature of this digital interaction phenomenon. The findings bear significant implications for a broad range of individuals, including potential and active OnlyFans models, celebrities and influencers navigating fandoms, researchers exploring online interactions, and mental health professionals assisting clients in these contexts. This study acknowledges its limitation in exploring only the models’ perspective, urging future research to incorporate fan perspectives of this dynamic.