The logo for OnlyFans is seen on a device in this photo illustration in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 19, 2021. REUTERS
PARIS — When the website OnlyFans announced plans to the internet was awash with comparisons to another site that famously went down the “family-friendly” route — and promptly lost many of its users.
Tumblr, a blogging site that enjoyed cult status among teens in the early 2010s, banned “adult” posts in 2018, only to suffer an immediate 30 percent drop in visits, according to internet traffic monitor SimilarWeb.
Bought by Yahoo for $1.1 billion in 2013, Tumblr had by 2019 sold to a new owner for a comparatively miniscule $3 million.
Twitter users shared memes predicting a similar demise for OnlyFans, a website with 150 million users — most of whom subscribe to raunchy content, sold directly by the people who make it.
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“Tumblr and OnlyFans hanging out after they both banned porn,” read one widely-shared tweet, depicting two side-by-side gravestones.
Sex certainly sells. Since launching in 2016, OnlyFans has paid more than $4.5 billion to content creators, who include celebrities like rapper Cardi B and well-known porn stars, but also students and grandparents supplementing their income.
