No permanent full-time job and mounting university tuition fees to pay off? Digital sex is the easy solution for many students these days who earn quick cash by either sending intimate messages or sometimes photographs as well. Online sexting, presumed safer by many, allows these students a layer of protection as they register on various social media platforms under anonymous identities.
Katie Roberts, an English Literature graduate from London, who set up an Instagram account under a pseudonym said- “You didn't have to give them [the guys] any personal details about yourself. You didn't meet them face to face”. But she also prefers looking for vacancies for these positions and messaging the client rather than advertising her availability. Browsing through the vacancies gives her an idea of the clients' wants, the price and her comfort level based on which she makes her decision.
Katie is just one among many: according to Swansea University's recent study, 5% of students had indulged in sex work at some stage while 20% had wondered about it.
Selling intimate pictures of yourself or messages may be frowned upon by many in the society and even some of the financial institutes such as PayPal which would block your account if they discover the nature of the earnings. But these students feel no shame in using their body for a little bit of extra cash.
