OnlyFans is the billion-dollar symptom of a loneliness pandemic - real life is the cure

Loneliness is lucrative. Leonid Radvinsky, the secretive owner of OnlyFans, received a $700 million (£523m) windfall last year, while the platform's top tier of content creators — mostly women — earn millions annually. With $7.2 billion in annual gross revenue and just 46 employees, OnlyFans may be one of the most profitable companies on the planet. The site is viewed as a porn-centric hub where men pay women for sexual content, whereas the company claims it's giving creators and their 378 million fans (greater than the population of the US) something more: an opportunity to forge “authentic connections”.

- BY SCOTT GALLOWAY

It’s an entire economy built on loneliness. It’s digital feudalism with OnlyFans as the landlord collecting rent on human connection.

The pitch resonates with millions of men retreating from the high-risk but high-reward activity of forming real-world relationships. It also appeals to women. OnlyFans has paid more than $25bn to creators since 2016. Women are flocking to the site, with an estimated one million-plus in the US alone. The success of OnlyFans is making some people rich. However, it’s also a symptom of a loneliness epidemic with devastating second-order effects.

Humans are hardwired to connect. Interacting with families and friends is as essential as food, water and shelter. Through the 1970s, Americans seemed adept at forming social groups: political associations, labour unions, local memberships. Those bonds have faded. Marriage rates have plunged. “Third places” — public gathering spots outside home and work — are disappearing.

Social isolation can be lethal

The driving factor is technology. Addicted to YouTube and TikTok, nearly half of American teens report being online almost constantly. Jonathan Haidt, my colleague at New York University, estimates kids’ time with friends has been cut in half. We've literally taken childhood and poured it into a screen.