Competition is fierce on webcam sex platforms, this dissertation shows
Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of webcammers offer their services through online platforms. The competition among them is fierce, media scholar Emilija Jokubauskaitė shows in her dissertation. “In the media, webcam work is often promoted as extremely lucrative. But this is not the whole reality.”
Hundreds of thousands of people work online as webcam models. Yet this enormous industry, which generates high profits, has hardly been studied, observed UvA media scholar Emilija Jokubauskaitė. For her dissertation, she delved into the world of online sex work and will defend her research on the topic this Tuesday.
Anyone visiting a webcam site sees small thumbnails of the models. The ranking algorithm that decides who gets to appear in this prime spot is largely opaque, her dissertation shows. Competition among webcam models – and between platforms themselves – is intense: both the models and the platforms benefit from users clicking through.
On what basis does the algorithm select the models for the homepage?
“No one can say for certain, because the way they work is obfuscated. On some platforms, streaming for longer may be associated with a higher ranking; on others, the opposite is the case. Models therefore don’t really know how to promote themselves. They need to be visible to earn money, but they don’t know what would make them more visible. There are many ‘algorithmic rumors’ circulating in the webcam world, as we call them as researchers, but no one knows for sure.”
“Performers need visibility to earn an income, but too much visibility can also be detrimental because of the stigma that sex and sex work carry. Suddenly your family or colleagues might see you on such a platform.”
This tricky balance also emerges in your dissertation. The most visible group earns the most. But only a small number manage to make a living wage.
“In mainstream media, webcam work is often portrayed as extremely lucrative. The success stories are widely shared. But this is not the whole of reality. Such stories are also good promotion for the platforms: the more models they can attract, the better. One platform employee told me they receive 500 to 600 new applications daily, but only 20% of those actually go online.”
“In practice, earning a lot of money turns out to be difficult. Many platforms give newcomers a lot of attention. Models could take advantage of that, by trying to build a loyal fan base in the first weeks to earn money. There are so many webcam models active, only a small portion is highlighted. Hence my dissertation talks about ‘winner take all’ dynamics. It’s an endless cycle; the visible webcammers earn more tips or money, which signals to the algorithm that these models are popular and attract many visitors, so they get a prominent spot on the site. This allows them to earn even more money, and so on, and so on.”
In your dissertation, you call these loyal fans ‘whales’. What an interesting term.
“It comes from the gaming world: players who spend a lot of money on a game. In the webcam world, they are customers who give large tips. These are the contacts with whom you often build a connection. Ultimately, webcam work involves a lot of intimacy. That intimacy is often sought out of, for example, loneliness. I began my research during the COVID pandemic. I noticed a lot in the chats on webcam platforms about how someone had lost their job, or how scared they were. The model also acts as a conversational partner on an intimate level. This makes it difficult for webcam models to balance: what do you share, and what not? How far do you go to strengthen that intimate bond, which ultimately also brings in money?”
Yes, how do you do that?
“Everyone I spoke to agreed that ultimately it’s the performer’s job to set boundaries. After all, it is still work.”
What consequences does the intense competition on these platforms have?
“I didn’t study that directly. But studies show that it can create a sort of ‘race to the bottom’. More extreme acts pay more, but if everyone does them, the price goes down again. On the other hand, webcam models don’t necessarily see each other as competitors. They say: we’re all just trying to attract as many paying customers as possible.”
What else stood out to you in the research?
“The group of webcam models is very diverse. On the platform Chaturbate, for example, the ratio between men and women is almost equal. But there is a distinction between ‘self-pleasure streamers’, often men, and people who do it primarily for money, often women. Geographically, this type of work is common broadly, with large hubs in some countries such as Romania and Colombia.”
Why do you think it’s important to research this at the university?
“When we study sex work, I think it’s very important to also discuss how it can benefit people who do this work. Currently, the focus is often on laws that aim to make it more difficult or prohibit it. But again, sex work is work, so it should also be discussed and regulated as such, with workers’ rights at the forefront.”
