In the wake of the cost-of-living crisis that is ever present in this country, people are struggling more and more to heat their homes, put food on the table and pay their rent, and it doesnÔÇÖt get much better for students here in the UK. Aside from racking up thousands of pounds in debt from tuition fees and various loans, students are also expected to support themselves through the partying and clubbing lifestyle that comes with the ÔÇÿuni experienceÔÇÖ. As a result, students are having to turn to alternative ways in order to make some extra cash on the side; such as part or full-time work, or in many cases nowadays, a side hustle.
Thinkstudent.co.uk found that approximately 59% of students work during their time studying at university, and over half of these working students claim that they work additional hours for more income to spend on their social life. Whilst this is still very true in todayÔÇÖs student culture, an emergence of ÔÇÿside hustle cultureÔÇÖ has increased in recent years, suggesting a move towards more flexible methods of gaining financial independence in order to battle the current cost-of-living-crisis.
First of all, what is ÔÇÿside hustle cultureÔÇÖ? Well, simply put, side hustles are created when one wants to supplement their income from their full-time job (or degree) with one or multiple freelance ventures, and the balance between receiving multiple incomes from different sources. With almost unlimited access to the internet 24 hours a day, this gives a constant platform to students to be able to earn money at a much faster and higher rate. According to a survey carried out by Student Beans, ÔÇ£61% of Gen-Z youngsters have started a side hustle to manage the cost of living.ÔÇØ
One side hustle which has become a rather popular way of making money in the student community is through the online social media platform OnlyFans. The subscription-only platform allows ÔÇÿcreatorsÔÇÖ to share sexually explicit pictures or videos with their fans and viewers. Not only used by students, it is a site for everyone to use, from sex workers to celebrities to comedians and musicians. Since it was founded in 2016, OnlyFans has been central to a number of controversial debates surrounding its easy access and fast-growing audience which is deemed by the masses as being inappropriate to be so readily available on the internet. Whilst the supporters say that the site is promoting the ideal of ÔÇ£empowering people to express their sexuality freelyÔÇØ, the critics condemn this behaviour, viewing it as nothing more than pornography.
The statistics show that just over a fifth of students have tried using OnlyFans as a way of funding their university studies, while some 4% have dabbled in sex work to pay for essentials and rent. Many creators feel that the flexibility of the work and independence it has provided for them financially is better than anything a normal job could give them, getting used to the lifestyle it has given them. Instead of being a struggling student, they now get to live their lives however they want, and not just live to survive. The fact that students now have to resort to selling their bodies to be able to live is a shocking fact that I donÔÇÖt think anyone has come to terms with and it just shows how dire of a financial situation we are in as a nation.
However, itÔÇÖs not just about the money or the freedom or the independence it offers, which are all positive aspects to the endeavour. There is also a multitude of negatives that come with posting images of your body online. The internet is a dangerous place, full of people who can hurt you and exploit you for their sexual gratification or for money, and as a result, OnlyFans could soon become the perfect platform for sex traffickers and predators to find their prey. Another more personal disadvantage to OnlyFans being used by university students as a side hustle is the potential impact on their reputation, and how the people closest to them, and faculty, may view them for their taboo methods in making money.
When you hear of someone making content on OnlyFans, your first reaction may be to judge and stereotype them. But maybe just consider that people might not be using the platform because they want to, but because they have to in order to live, to pay their rent and bills, provide food for themselves, and simply to survive.
Words by Ella Collis
