South Africa, Sept. 10 -- Global traffic to the site increased by over 90% between November 2019 and October 2020. At the height of the Covid pandemic, when governments all over the world issued stay-at-home orders, OnlyFans was one of the few marketplaces to experience major growth, from 7.5 million registered users to 85 million. In mid-2021, the platform was estimated to be worth over a billion dollars and, by 2026, over three times that.

Today OnlyFans is the most popular of many similar sites. In a digital gig economy, creators earn money directly from their fans through monthly subscription fees, tips, and pay-per-view messages.

Even though the platform hosts fitness and wellness instructors, music and bands, sports and athletic s...