The Boundaries of Business and Pleasure: How Personal, Social, and Legal Factors Influence Webcam Models' Boundaries.

Abstract

Webcam models live-stream erotic shows for viewers around the world. Unlike traditional pornography, they interact directly with clients during their performances, and clients may play a role in shaping the direction of the performance. Models can decide what kind of shows to offer or what acts to perform. This article is based on interviews with 23 North American webcammers and explores how these models shape their boundaries based on different personal, social, and legal factors. Legal consciousness is used as a sensitizing concept to help contextualize webcam models' experiences and interactions with the law and the terms of service (ToS) on webcam platforms. The findings show the co-occurring forces shaping webcam models' boundaries such as stigma, social norms, moral subjectivities, personal preferences and desires, sexual pleasure, and the law and ToS. This shows how webcam models are both controlled by formal and informal law but also have the agency to act within it - and sometimes beyond it.