Did the OnlyFans saga result in free publicity and awareness for the platform?

OnlyFans creator Titus Low (pictured) has been making headlines after being charged on 30 December last year for posting obscene materials on the online platform. OnlyFans hosts adult content, although it has its fair share of other forms of content such as fitness, music and art amongst others. The platform is an internet content subscription service that allows creators to directly earn revenue from "fans" who subscribe to their content for a fee.

According to news reports, over the course of April to October last year, Low was found to have uploaded 32 obscene photographs and 29 videos to his OnlyFans account. According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), it had received a report regarding the transmitted materials in September last year, and had seized Low's account a month later. Low was also served an order and was told not to access the account which he allegedly violated by writing in to OnlyFans administrators, claiming that his account was not secured and enabling a password reset. He then reportedly continued to share more content on his account, as well as a secondary account, on OnlyFans. Low was later served a fresh order to cease access to both accounts on 1 November that year.

Meanwhile, just yesterday, Minister Josephine Teo addressed the saga surrounding OnlyFans and said Singapore has to look beyond banning and take a holistic approach to deal with such content, as realistically, it will not be possible to block all objectionable or obscene content on the internet.

"Not all content posted on OnlyFans is objectionable, but we must ensure that such content creation platforms do not expose Singaporeans to the risk of exploitation and abuse, especially our youth. The government closely monitors developments in this regard and will take regulatory action where appropriate," she added.

While OnlyFans will not be banned in Singapore for now, Teo stated that members of the public who are aware of persons in breach of the Penal Code can similarly lodge a police report. Under Singapore’s Penal Code, it is illegal to transmit any obscene material by electronic means. It is also illegal to participate in or receive profits from any business where obscene materials are transmitted by electronic means or advertise the sale of obscene materials.

With OnlyFans remaining accessible in Singapore, the charges against Low sparked conversations that may have just inadvertently brought more publicity for the platform instead.

However, it seems like the arrest of the creator has led to more people in Singapore garnering awareness of the platform. Even after Teo’s comments, Truescope found that there was a slight increase in online chatter. It added that discussions may spike again today (13th Jan) where Minister Josephine Teo addressed this issue in Parliament.

However, the bulk of the social discussions started on the afternoon of 29 December when news media first reported on his arrest. This spiked the next day following alternative media sharing the news and reached over 62,000 engagements on social media, according to Truescopes platform.

A week later, around 7th and 8th January, the conversations peaked once again after Low released a video addressing his arrest. The chatter has continued through January, especially in forums.

Meanwhile, Digimind’s reports found conversations around Titus Low spiked 646% on 30 December, up from just 52 mentions a day before. The Titus Low commotion remarkably received worldwide attention, reaching the USA and the United Kingdom. A Vice Media article surfaced covering the local politics around the situation, which included a follow-up feature on Low’s personal account and mental health.

Digimind added that the public opinion on Titus Low is divisive, with some disgruntled about the lengths to which this case is generating, mainly on whether the case warrants criminal proceedings. While some view it as a simple matter of policing, others feel fervently for Low with sympathy for his innocence.

The impact of this news is also causing concern beyond Singapore’s borders. In neighboring countries like Malaysia, internauts fear the implications for users on OnlyFans and similar platforms if their local government takes a similar route of action.

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