Social Media Upsell Uncertainty

Uncertain Future of TikTok, Vague Guidelines Complicate Upsell Potential

Video-based social media platform TikTok does not allow content that displays “sex, sexual arousal, fetish, and kink behavior,” nor “the use of sexually explicit narratives.” Nonetheless, many an adult content creator has found it to be a useful way to introduce themselves to potential fans and followers. According to Vice.com, by focusing on the softer side of sexuality, some models and influencers have been able to dodge restrictions, keep their content online, and even encourage their audience to follow them to other, more flesh-friendly, platforms.

The downside of posing too provocatively while semi-clothed, using language that is too frank, or making sounds that are too erotic is that they often run afoul of the algorithm, fellow users, or real live moderators. Although the latter sometimes overturn the decisions of the former, TikTok states that 95-percent of videos determined to violate community guidelines are removed. Given that the app claims to allow “seductive performances or sexualized posing by adults, or allusions to sexual activity by adults,” figuring out the line between too much and just enough isn’t easy.

When this happens, content creators with repeat offenses may find their account privileges revoked and their videos removed. This, of course, means they must start all over on the platform with a new account name. Then, they must either create a new following or relocate the one they had before. Fortunately, the #ForYou Page helps users find creators in line with their interests. This is not an available feature on Instagram or Snapchat, although those formats have their own unique charms.

Nudity in a video is the quickest way to attract the attention of the moderators. The site is quite specific in that it does not permit any form of nudity. Even garments such as bikinis that are too sheer or transparent will be removed. Further, professionals who want to refer followers to an X-rated pay site are not allowed to do so via hyperlink in their bios.

Despite these inconveniences, TikTok, if the US government allows it to continue business in the country, has the potential to be the first flower in a daisy chain of social media platforms that are progressively permissive and able to be monetized. One model told Vice that she remains fully clothed on TikTok, partially clothed on Instagram, increasingly nude on X, and then goes full Monty on OnlyFans.

Like OnlyFans, TikTok provides subscribers with a far more personal and interactive experience than watching a porn video. In addition to the chance to see something faintly taboo on a free app that includes members who are minors, TikTok followers have the ability to crush on models they could imagine meeting at the grocery store or becoming friends with. Unfortunately, TikTok does not have an effective age verification process. Instead, it has a Content Levels System, which affixes a maturity level to anything deemed inappropriate for a minor to view.

Anyone who hopes to leverage TikTok with tease or ASMR-themed erotic videos needs to be patient and plan carefully. Content creators who spoke with Vice indicated that changes in the app have seen their conversion rates drop significantly, with some deeming it useless due to shadowbans and takedowns. That doesn’t mean that there’s not value in developing a following on the platform, but it does mean that more thought and strategy will be needed to bring that fanbase to a pay site.