Airdate: Nude Next Door

Documentary special Nude Next Door screens tonight on ABC.

ABC digital reporter Siobhan Marin lifts the lid on the booming business of ‘democratised’ porn – erotica made by everyday people and sold for a subscription fee online – to meet the content makers and explore the risks.

Since the dawn of porn, the erotica industry has been dominated by men and powerful corporations.

Now, just like food delivery and transportation, that model’s being tipped on its head. The porn industry has been disrupted by online platforms like Only Fans, where anyone – overwhelmingly women – can make money from producing and sharing their own erotic material.

With the rise of unemployment during the pandemic – and now the skyrocketing cost of living – it’s no wonder that millions of people have signed up. Today, OnlyFans has more than 1.5 million creators, with thousands here in Australia.

However, the promise of big, fast money only proves true for a small minority. While OnlyFans’ profits have soared, most people earn very little – less than the average gig economy worker. And most creators know their content can – and most certainly will – be stolen or leaked onto other platforms on the internet. Once your image is on the web, it’s there forever.

So, Siobhan goes behind the scenes and into the bedrooms of young women to ask is this empowerment or more exploitation? What are the risks and dangers involved? Could their reputations, and future job prospects suffer? Or will this help to abolish the stigma around sex work? And do creators face heightened risk of trolling and real-life stalking?

Nude Next Door is an ABC Production. Presenter: Siobhan Marin, Producer: Louise Heywood, Executive Producer, Compass: Amanda Collinge, Head Factual & Culture: Julie Hanna.

9:30pm tonight on ABC.