Virtual Sex Economies Project
The Virtual Sexual Economies Project is a research effort that endeavors to enhance understanding of the adult webcam modeling industry and related forms of erotic livestreaming and content creation
Get Involved
Contact Dr. Alex Nelsion at nelsonaj@uindy.edu or visit our FAQ Page. Thank you for your time and interest!
Who We Are
Our team consists of sex work researchers trained in the discipline of anthropology, including faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and independent scholars who are members of the WWU-UIndy Human Intimacies Lab run by Dr. Alex Nelson (University of Indianapolis) and Dr. Yeon Jung Yu (Western Washington University).
What We Do
The Virtual Sexual Economies Project is a research program that explores entrepreneurship and inequalities in virtual commercial sexual industries such as webcam modeling and erotic content creation.
How the Data is Used
The data is used in a variety of ways to explain trends and changes in online platforms as used for sex work both for entrepreneurs and clients. We have written and published several papers with supporting data that have been presented at anthropological conferences around the world.
Our Team
We are a collaborative team of anthropology faculty, students, and independent scholars with over a decade of combined experience working with sex workers on projects related to the business of online escorting in the US (The Erotic Entrepreneurs Project) and sex worker social networks in Hainan, China
We are dedicated to advancing the interests of sex workers by directing our research towards reducing the stigma against sex work as well as consumption of sexual services, enabling the sex industry to become safer, more equitable, and more satisfying for both providers and consumers.
Our Publications and Data
Nelson, A., McBride, B., & Yu, Y. 2024. “Whorearchy:” Racial earnings disparities in webcam modeling. In B. Barton, B. Brents, & A. Jones (Eds.), Sex work today: Erotic labor in the 21st Century. New York University Press. https://nyupress.org/9781479821341/sex-work-today/
Nelson, A., Yu, Y., & McBride, B. 2020. Sex work during the COVID-19 pandemic, Society for the Anthropology of Work. doi: 10.21428/1d6be30e.3c1f26b7.
Our data focuses on the self reported identities of cam models and sex workers using MyFreeCams.com in 2019
Frequently Asked Questions
To get in touch, please visit our Contact Us page and submit a form today!
Our Results
How will the results of this study be used and how can I learn the results?
When did this project start and when will it end?
Becoming Apart of the Team
I have an interest in conducting social science research, can I become a member of the research team?
Interview Participation
How can I participate in an interview or survey?