Snapchat And Adult Entertainment

nytimes.com

Snapchat’s Snapcash feature is allowing people to solicit private sex shows with strippers and porn stars on your family friendly picture sharing app.  

I say 'family friendly', but I’m sure you’re well aware that Snapchat hasn't always proven to be the most ‘PG13’ app out there. In fact, during Snapchat’s early days and its rise to success, it was almost always exclusively used as a 'sexting' app.

I mean, how else did you think an app that sent self-deleting pictures was going to pan out?

However, we didn't start to see people with dedicated accounts for selling nudes and videos until Snapchat released their Snapcash update in November last year. This allowed users to send each other money through the app’s chat feature; it’s as easy as typing $5 and then hitting send. Snapcash was one of the first things I wrote about for this blog, and I didn't anticipate the potential it would hold for adult entertainment.

Take a trip to Twitter now and search for #Snapchat. Just a warning though, some NSFW material will probably pop up. As well as finding this article (hopefully) you’ll probably find people posting their own adult content with their Snapchat handles looking for more followers.

This is how the whole process comes together. People find an account which is dedicated to adult content and then strike up conversation and request pictures or videos for a fee. It sort of works like those adult web cam shows that I know you've all come across in your private times online. Don’t lie, those pop ups are everywhere.

Nick Bilton, from the New York Times reports that: ‘Some transactions are as inexpensive as $1 to $5 for a few personalized photos. The prices can reach double digits for personalized sex shows. One brunette on Snapchat this week, most likely in her 20s, wore nothing more than skimpy underwear and offered to send pictures personalized for a person’s proclivities for $5. Men offer similar products at comparable prices.’

Why are people willing to pay for these short 10 second videos? It might seem a bit strange considering the vast quantities of pornography available online for free. The answer lies in the one on one interaction that comes with the service. It creates a rather odd connection between the entertainer and the entertained.

A further bonus for the performers is that the videos shared via Snapchat are going to be limited to just that medium. Where as if they were to perform for a live webcam show, it could easily be recorded and then uploaded again where it could viewed for free.

It’s probably very important to mention that Snapchat doesn't condone people utilising the app in this way. In fact, most accounts that operate within these boundaries are already being shut down. Snapchat recently commented in a blog post: ‘Don’t use Snapchat for any illegal shenanigans and if you’re under 18 or are Snapping with someone who might be: keep your clothes on!’

Obviously, the illegal term is quite loose and depends entirely on your location’s laws regarding pornography.

To be honest, I don’t see an issue with adult entertainers utilising social media in this way. But unfortunately I don’t think that Snapchat is the optimum platform for them to operate from. Snapchat typically has a very young demographic. In fact, its network is mostly used by teenagers.

Now I’m not saying that it’s Snapchat’s responsibility to make sure that teens aren't seeing adult content – I’m a firm believer that this form of regulation requires education and parenting. If anything, I think that adult entertainers would probably benefit from their own platform. An app dedicated precisely to their services.

Whatever people may think about adult entertainment it's not going go away anytime soon.

It is one of the biggest driving factors behind technology and there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, as long as there are firm regulations to keep entertainers respected and protected.
Above all, their voices must always be heard. Their views matter more than they're often given credit for.

Either way, I’m still going to be Snapping away. Purely SFW stuff, of course. 

Tom Welby

Tom has a degree in Creative and Professional Writing and he currently manages, edits and writes for this blog. His other interests include Arnold Schwarzenegger films and his dog. Follow him @TomAtSMF

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