Kaunda Selisho

By Kaunda Selisho

Journalist


OnlyFans: Why SA is considering amateur porn as a side hustle

The existence of a paid subscription social media site has had Mzansi thinking about taking it all off, and more, for cash.


Living in Cyril’s economy is expensive. So expensive, in fact, that South Africans are considering turning to amateur porn as way to bring in an additional source of income.

As modern-day urban legends go, there has been a tweet doing the rounds claiming that social media users who send amateur submissions to global adult site PornHub can make around $3,500 (R53,000) for their content.

https://twitter.com/jamberlynk/status/1026996727218204672

As a result, many have joked about doing just that as a way of earning some extra bucks, but the jokes seem to have turned into strong considerations after vlogger, influencer, adult shop owner and Twitter user @OddeOmontle shared how much she had earned in a day from subscriptions to her account.

*Please note: The following tweet contains explicit language.

https://twitter.com/OddeOmontle/status/1181839105497407488?s=20

@OddeOmontle, who also goes by the name Cindy, was subsequently inundated with queries about how to open an account as well as how the site works.

What is OnlyFans? 

It is a social media platform launched in 2016 that allows account owners to monetise their content in a way that is similar to YouTube. Where the two platforms differ, however, is that followers on OnlyFans pay a subscription fee that gives them access to your content, which remains locked and therefore closed to non-paying outsiders.

Because of this, social media users who post adult content, as well as adult film stars, favour using OnlyFans to share their content. In layman’s terms, you can sell your nudes, and photos of pretty much anything on your body, for money.

The site also allows followers to tip the content creator or direct message them and request personalised content at an additional fee.

The revenue split is currently on an 80-20 basis and content creators have their revenue deposited directly into their accounts once OnlyFans has deducted its commission.

The site currently functions as a web page only but they plan to launch apps soon.

The site is owned by a parent company called Fenix International Limited. According to The New York Times, Fenix is run by a man who goes by the name Mr Stokely and he works alongside his father, Guy Stokely.

How much could I earn? 

At the moment, the site suggests setting a minimum subscription fee of $4.99 (R75,66) but content creators can determine how much they wish to charge.

So, for example, if you had 10 subscribers who paid $6 (R90,97) each per month, you as a South African creator could stand to take home just over R800 after deductions.

Because of the aforementioned promise of earnings on OnlyFans, the website found itself trending on South African social media on Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/anelisa_kakaza/status/1181869444206866432?s=20
https://twitter.com/OyamaBotha/status/1181869372488474624?s=20
https://twitter.com/milk_and_money_/status/1181883721064079360?s=20
https://twitter.com/__Zimkhitha/status/1181856065237012480?s=20

Read more on these topics

Editor’s Choice porn Social Media

For more news your way

Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.