NEW YORK — Porn once again is embracing new technology and has found a way to make money.
Calling porn "the mother of tech innovation," The New York Times reported that Snapchat’s recently added Snapcash payment feature [powered by payments company Square] is being used by strippers and porn stars to sell short porn video and content for small fees as little as $1-5 and private shows for much more.
Snapcash is being used despite Snapchat’s community guidelines post that says, “Don’t use Snapchat for any illegal shenanigans and if you’re under 18 or are Snapping with someone who might be: keep your clothes on!”
But the opportunity may be fast waning. The Times tested the service and added 30 Snapchat accounts that promised to share porn pictures, some for free, but 28 were shut down a week later.
“We are very aggressive about taking action and we will continue our efforts on that front,” Snapchat said in a statement.
Messaging app Kik is also being used for porn-related texting, photos and links to webcam chats, according to the report.
And as users embrace mobile apps more every day, the trend will only continue to be appealing to adult entrepreneurs. The report said a Juniper Research study predicts that porn-related video chats and subscription services on mobile devices will account for $2.8 billion in 2015.
What's more, adult talent prefers mobile apps because they have more control and can’t be copied and distributed.
XBIZ’s Stephen Yagielowicz, commenting on strippers’ use of mobile apps told the Times that bigger screens, better cameras and faster connections on mobile phones had created a sweet spot for them to engage with their audience directly. “There is a conflux of sex and technology underway that is cutting out the middleman. Many performers have embraced live webcam shows as a revenue source.”
