Many adult-content creators have embraced cryptocurrency since they’ve often had problems with censorship in the past. The nonfungible tokens are not an exception, and with the many influencers interested, the Porn creators are also getting in.
Cryptonatrix (a dominatrix and artist who specializes in what she refers to as “commentary on political or social happenings with femdom themes”), who started minting NFTs back in September, created “Making Vlad My Bitch”. This work is being sold on the cryptocurrency marketplace Rarible for a little over $1,772, which means 1 Ethereum; She’s sold almost all of her works for at least hundreds of dollars, even though they don’t actually physically exist.
Such works are NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, essentially “digital containers” designed to hold a one-of-a-kind priceless collectible. They have gained prominence in the art world. For example, Grimes selling one of her NFTs for $390,000; Steve Aoki’s “Dream Catcher” limited art collection brought in $4.25 million in sales; and the artist Beeple selling an NFT through an auction at Christie’s for a staggering $69 million.
There’s a great deal of skepticism surrounding NFTs outside the cryptocurrency community, and also what their long-term value may be. The adult industry was a major driver behind the rise of VCRs, as well as cable TV — adult-content creators like Cryptonatrix have started to embrace the NFT craze, marketing their works to a small yet ardent clientele.
Cryptonatrix says:
“A lot of buyers don’t really care about getting something on the blockchain because they just wanna jerk off,” she also adds: “But some of them really love the idea of owning this digital token and being the one to own this special image their favorite creator minted.”
Many mainstream payment processors (for example as PayPal) have refused to process transactions from adult businesses, in the process freezing many sex workers’ funds.
Sex workers have also tried to maintain their presence on large platforms like Instagram. They are often subject to shadow-banning and stringent content guidelines. Some of them view minting NFTs to diversify their revenue streams while simultaneously ensuring their content is not removed from the blockchain.
Allie Eve Knox, whois currently auctioning off “Allie in the City, Two,” in an interview with Rolling Stone, she says she sees minting NFTs as yielding a long-term financial payoff: If someone sells her NFTs, she will earn 30 percent in residual fees. Knox says: „I don’t want to change the art world or want people to respect me. I just want another way to get paid.”
Knox also sees creating NFTs as having a more symbolic purpose for sex workers. In a world of tube sites and porn piracy, NFT porn helps to overturn the cultural conception of porn as an eminently disposable product.
There are, of course, some significant drawbacks: Knox says that the Ethereum processing fees can be onerous, and the ambiguity surrounding the future of cryptocurrency makes the barrier for entry quite high. There’s also little by way of age verification protocols to ensure that creators selling nude or lewd NFTs are of age. Cryptonatrix claims: „You don’t know the age of the buyer or who’s in the content, or how old the person is or if they gave consent for that. So that’s a huge concern of mine,”
However, such potential negative implications are common with any new form of technology, and adult creators are optimistic that even if platforms do start cracking down on NSFW content, a new space or platform will arise for those in the industry. “There’s a lot of money in it,” says Aella. “People know that.”
Source:www.rollingstone.com
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
