Editor’s Note: Rachel Stuart is a PhD Researcher at the University of Kent’s School of Sociology, Social Policy and Research, undertaking an investigation of some of camming’s nuances, and now currently seeking input on the subject from performers. Here’s what she told XBIZ:
I conceived my PhD thesis on Dec. 1, 2014, the day The Audio-visual Media Services Regulations (AVMSR) 2014 came into force. Significantly, this legislation, which effectively bans certain acts from being depicted and uploaded by British pornography producers, made no reference to webcamming.
I believe that webcam performers, because of their orchestrated use of social media, are challenging radical feminists’ contrived image of the 'victim in need of rescue.'
Here lies something of a paradox: performing an explicitly pornographic act via a webcam carries no repercussions, but if the same show is recorded and uploaded, the performer can be liable to a fine of up to £10,000 (~$12,500). This was so interesting to me that I cancelled Christmas that year and wrote a PhD proposal in order that I might study webcamming as a form of sexual commerce.
Two years into my study, what has become very apparent from both my research and the interviews I have conducted, is that unlike other forms of adult entertainment, the feminist discourse around victimization is noticeably absent from webcamming.
Webcam performers are often highly entrepreneurial — harnessing mainstream social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr to build and maintain relationships with customers. Thus, a shrewd businesswoman who may have a fan base that runs into the thousands because of her clever use of social media is difficult to tally with radical feminists’ description of women involved in pornography as “being victimised.”
Since the early years of feminism in the nineteenth century, others have told the narratives of women involved in adult work. I believe that webcam performers, because of their orchestrated use of social media, are challenging radical feminists’ contrived image of the “victim in need of rescue.”
The extensive use of social media by the women who perform on cam very much tells its own narrative, however: A relatively small outlay allows women entry into the mediated sex industry that for many is a rational choice given the salary, flexible working hours, and safe working environment. This provides them with an opportunity to redistribute wealth from the profits of the traditionally male-dominated pornography industry into their own pockets, while empowering media- and communications-savvy women to define their own identities and to maintain control of not only of their representation, but the terms and conditions of how they are viewed.
The idea of webcamming as providing a sort of online utopia where women have independently repossessed for themselves an area of sexual commerce is unfortunately only part of the picture — there are inherent dangers too.
These include the unwanted filming and sharing of performances on pornographic websites, often cited as a source of concern to women I have interviewed. The acquisition of personal information about performers, which is then used to either stalk or blackmail them, has also been highlighted as an issue. Despite these issues, camming not only allows for the possibility of self-representation but also allows women to search for their multiple roles (as producers and images) through setting up as webcam performers.
The amount of autonomy that performers are able to exercise makes it difficult for anti-porn feminists to claim that cam performers are being manipulated by a patriarchal, oppressive society.
The interactive nature of webcamming and the dominant role of amateurs within the webcam industry also challenge the assertion by anti-pornography feminists that the production of sexually explicit material degrades women. Indeed, it could be argued that webcamming is a liberating expression of female sexuality.
A form of adult entertainment that allows entrepreneurial performers to access audiences globally from the comparative safety of their own homes dispels to an extent myths that women engaged in such pursuits are in need of rescue. Indeed, a form of work that allows for relatively easy flows of resources between areas of poverty and global markets may provide an opportunity for the women involved to address such issues as poverty.
In an area of adult work which is so under explored, the gaps in the literature are almost too numerous to mention. Academia is conspicuously out of date when discussing internet-based forms of sex work, and it is this apparent lack of interest, which has been the motivation for my research.
I am looking to interview people involved in the webcam industry, so if you would like to share your experiences, email rs643@kent.ac.uk.
