Webcam Modeling During Lockdown: An On-Growing Business for Entrepreneurs

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Unavoidable circumstances such as self-isolation during the Coronavirus pandemic have had several side effects in everyone’s lives. Stress, anxiety, loneliness, and worrying about debt or losing economic support to cover basic needs like food and shelter have been on our minds for over a year. While this reality motivates people into online remote work business dynamics, the fear of an uncertain future also made some individuals want to enjoy themselves in the present moment now more than ever. 

The Internet became a right-hand option for freelance entrepreneurs. Restrictions, incertitude, and in some cases raised sexual arousal have given the YOLO (You Only Live Once) motto a whole new meaning. It doesn’t come as a surprise that sexual pleasure (masturbation, foreplay, intercourse, or other types of erotically-charged experiences leading to a sense of satisfaction) helps release tension and counterweight boredom. Webcam modeling is, for many, a way to make the best out of difficult situations when it’s also an opportunity to grow their income as independent freelancers. 

Porn is becoming increasingly resourceful for those looking to relieve tension, and it can be a distraction from everyday life pressures likewise. Nonetheless, the pandemic quarantine has made users go beyond traditional, prerecorded porn videos and land on interactive sites where models stream in real-time. Ava Moore, a webcam performer, told VICE that her “business has grown by 30 percent since the start of the lockdown”, and the cammer Chloé Sanchez stated that the demand has “gone up by 30 percent” too.

Interactive sites create a competitive atmosphere, so some broadcasters find the recent boom in the adult industry quite stressful. However, others strive to adapt by, for example, setting discount packages, promoting their private photoshoots, or giving exclusive access to their social media profiles. Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook have turned into effective means for cammers considerably during isolation. 

Most live sex spectacles in websites such as camsoap.com are viewable at no cost, and some interactions are also free. Cam Soap invites members to watch real-time streams and chat, somewhat a tease or an “appetizer” when the main course has a price (just as all the good things in life do). For instance, one-on-one virtual performances and fetishistic shows are available under request as long as users tip models beforehand.

Simply put, these sex chat sites follow a “pay-what-you-feel” business model. It means that viewers can tip based on how much they’re enjoying a show, as well as an incentive for what they wish to experience. There is a token type of currency to tip cammers. Tokens are more affordable than regular money but still help independent models add up to their earnings and reach credit goals while fulfilling users’ erotic needs. Performers will pause public streaming and broadcast private shows for tippers only once their credit goals are complete.

Even though webcam modeling is not easy, live chat platforms grant autonomy and help maintain a steady job during adversity. With artistic freedom to design their cam shows, online entertainers choose how much time to invest and set their rates per show just the same. 

Despite that there’s high profit generated for hosting websites, cammers’ revenue is significant. ReadySetCam offers a “2021 Webcam Model Salary Calculator”, which helps figure out how much a female model would get paid based on time spent working each week, years of experience, and cam site to broadcast in. There was a survey conducted between July and October 2020 involving 655 active webcam models. It stated that average performers made 1,043 USD weekly after 18 hours worked, 100 USD being the lower amount and 6,000 USD the highest earned by professional, full-time streamers. 

There are external factors that still affect models’ final income. For example, the public response and ratings have determined that female performers earn more than trans, the latter more than males, and males more than couples. 

Interacting along free chat platforms is not just about sex or related practices. Some users pursue simple, friendly video chats without involving any explicit activities. Even if performers are exposing themselves in modest or suggestive manners, webcam modeling can be safer than other types of jobs. Angela Jones, sociologist, educator, and writer, reflects in an article analysis about new forms of sex work in a digital era. She says that “it is precisely in the absence of the ability to physically touch – and the absence of the many risks associated with physical encounters – that this new online sex market has flourished, and that has made it so pleasurable for workers and clients.” 

The world is currently living through an Internet age that has gained such strength and given adults back some of the power that the Coronavirus pandemic quickly seemed to weaken. Society now has increased opportunities to adjust considering the necessities, obligations, and concerns due to recent restrictions. 

Webcam modeling is one of the top choices for many remote freelancers of various backgrounds and offers a series of identity and desire explorations that can be profitable. It helps understand how these identities are perceived, constructed and experienced while turning around the confined, lonely, and inescapable reality endured nowadays. 

One may stop looking for outside options when real entrepreneurial opportunities lie within webcam modeling during and after a locked-down world. All it takes to start a camming career is one high-quality webcam device, good Internet speed, and proper lighting.