🌽 OnlyFreelancers

Whether you like it or not, the adult industry has been influencing our day-to-day lives for years. Why shouldn’t it?

The Digital Adult Content industry was valued at an estimated US$58.8 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$74.7 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 3.5% from 2023 to 2030.

Anything with such a significant economic footprint is bound to bleed into other aspects of life. 

Any technologist “in the know” would undoubtedly look at the biggest tech trendsetter of all time: the corn industry. The corn industry is credited with innovations that we now use daily such as video streaming, online payments, AR/VR, and even the terrifying world of deep fakes. If technology is shaping the future of work, so is the corn industry. 

Let’s evaluate some parallels and predictions made between the adult content and staffing industries.

A surge of freelancers.

Decentralized and distributed work is preferred.

Looking back, the adult content industry was made up of an oligopoly of core production houses that held creative and financial control over performers. They operated in centralized studios and were not particularly known for being employers of choice. 

The platform economy is strong in and out of the industry. PornHub democratized content development and distribution for creators, launching the Pornhub Amateur Program in 2013 which pays performers per view. OnlyFans (OF) - a platform that not only allows creators artistic control but the ability to make serious cash with top earners reportedly taking home $100,000+ monthly.

In the rest of the workforce, we see parallels The great resignation and renegotiation have shown that workers are willing to leave if their needs are not met. Many of these workers have taken the leap to become independents with researchers predicting the American freelancer workforce to be 90 million strong by 2028 - a majority of which are Gen Z who believe it’s a long-term career choice rather than a temporary way of making money. 

Be your own boss, set your own rates, and work wherever and whenever you want. Yes, please.

Prediction: A continued surge of six-figure freelancers will rise in other industries.

Seeing behind the curtain.

Ethical consumers drive change. 

The corn industry has a bad rap for a good reason - it has a history of exploiting workers. Lack of consent, no safety regulations, and the glorification of aggressive, abusive, and degrading content have made it an incredibly dangerous place to be.

As conditions have become exposed, the world of ethical and fair trade corn emerged. Not only does ethical corn highlight the need for safety, respect, pleasure, and diversity, but it calls for fair pay (and often isn’t free). 

The gig economy has received a lot of heat for similar exploitation - low wages, high margins, and unprotected workers. While many talent platforms are making progress with transparent, flat-rate margins, many others still practice re-selling which can bring rate markups well above 100% of the worker’s wage.

While governments aim to rectify classification via California’s Prop 22, the UK’s IR35, and the EU Platform Directive, new attempts are being made to evaluate worker conditions. Fairwork, for example, evaluates digital talent platforms across five principles: pay, conditions, contracts, management, and representation.

As more information emerges, hiring managers can make more ethical decisions when it comes to platform selection.

Prediction: Ethical dilemmas - more and more hiring managers will only choose vendors that meet fair work and transparent pay standards. 

AI-volution craves customization.

Personalized and niched products and services trend.

With Generative AI at the world’s fingertips, the internet is filling up with content at rates we’ve never seen.

Not only does it raise the age-old debate of quality versus quantity, but it’s getting harder and harder for people to even search for and find what they are interested in. Is the golden age of search ending?

When search becomes difficult with a lack of content flags and tags, new market entrants will arrive to specialize and resolve. Last week, we talked about the concept of “verticalization” in platforms and the adult content industry is doing this too. OnlyFans? Meet OnlyFeet. (not kidding) “The easiest way for verified users to buy and sell feet pictures and videos in a safe and secure environment.”

On top of this, AI image and video creation is bursting at the seams. Deep fakes are deeply affecting adult content creators. Consumers want real interactions with real people. Allowing direct access to content creators on platforms like OF not only allow for a more curated experience but it opens the door to new revenue streams for creators beyond views and subscriptions.

In the freelance economy, it’s the same. More and more people are using tools to create websites, write articles, or even create images on their own instead of hiring new talent. But there’s still a need for customization of out-of-the-box solutions and differentiation is becoming paramount to standing out in a crowd of AI content created by the average of all other content.

Prediction: It’s not the end of the freelance economy, it’s a new era of it. We’re shifting from builders to customizers.

Where do we go from here?

The adult content industry, like it or not, continues to be a harbinger of technological and economic trends that ripple across other sectors. As we've seen, the parallels between this industry and the broader workforce are striking: the rise of independent creators, the demand for ethical practices, and the push for personalized experiences.

As we look to the future, these trends are likely to intensify. We can expect to see more high-earning freelancers across various fields, increased scrutiny on platform ethics, and a shift towards specialized, customized services in the face of AI-generated content.

The lesson? Keep an eye on the fringes of technology and commerce. Today's niche could be tomorrow's norm. As the workforce continues to evolve, adaptability and ethical considerations will be key. Whether you're a freelancer, a hiring manager, or a platform developer, staying ahead of these trends could mean the difference between thriving and merely surviving in the new world of work.

So, the next time someone asks you about the future of work, you might just want to tell them: "Well, funny you should ask... have you heard about the corn industry?" 🌽

That’s all for now, pals. See ya next week.

Eryn