Who’d have guessed that making NFT profile images a thing would inspire Twitter to follow suit? You won if you guessed OnlyFans, the NSFW creator monetization platform that’s oddly attempting to clean up its image despite making money. Unless you remember that OnlyFans now does NFT profile images, in which case no one wins (except maybe the individuals who love crypto and also want to recompense NSFW authors for their work?). This function has been in the works since December, according to Reuters. OnlyFans was contacted by TechCrunch to corroborate the report.
Only NFTs created on the Ethereum blockchain will be supported on OnlyFans, and they will be marked with an Ethereum icon. When users click on an NFT profile photo, they will be taken to a page with further information about the OpenSea digital asset. “This functionality is the first step in examining the role that NFTs can play on our platform,” said OnlyFans CEO Ami Gan, who was recently appointed.
Last year, OnlyFans came close to banning NSFW content off the platform, which would have thrown producers’ lives into disarray – this announcement came in the wake of new Mastercard and Visa laws. OnlyFans then reversed its decision, telling TechCrunch at the time that the revisions were “no longer required due to banking partners’ assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of authors.” Even still, OnlyFans creators were warned that the platform could pull the rug out from under them at any time, depending on the vagaries of credit card providers.
However, assisting sex workers in maintaining a steady income is not a bad use case for cryptocurrency. Allie Rae, a former OnlyFans creator, is now working on WetSpace, a crypto-centric OnlyFans replacement. Unlike a credit card company, public blockchains cannot be changed on the fly to prohibit the purchase of pornographic material. However, as we’ve seen, given enough traction, centralized listing marketplaces can constrain access and market activity on a specific type of coin.
Cryptocurrency, on the other hand, might be a barrier for fans and creators who don’t want to get involved in the volatile, sometimes-scammy world. OnlyFans may be making a move toward a future in crypto by enabling NFT profile images, which could guarantee a continued future in the porn sector.
Reddit, like Twitter and OnlyFans, has experimented with an NFT profile image option, while YouTube is openly flirting with the idea. “We believe that new technologies like blockchain and NFTs can enable creators to develop closer ties with their audience,” YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan stated today, echoing Ami Gan’s comments to Reuters. The CEO of OnlyFans stated, “Our objective is to empower creators to own their full potential.”
