I'm surprised this isn't being talked about more, because it's a huge deal. The online marketplace for onlyfans, camgirls, and other forms of virtual girlfriends is gigantic, and I personally think it's fucking up relationships. It's one thing to get sexual satisfaction from a provider, but for many it's different. For many, they're desperate to have a woman shine some sliver of attention their way, and they're willing to bankrupt themselves to do it. It sets off endorphins to have this hot girl, who obviously has the attention of many, many men, responding to your messages, and especially your tips. The problem with that is....love should never be a commodity. And when it becomes so, it's usually poisonous.
For the men, they stop trying in real life because it's easier to just whip out a credit card and get instant gratification online. It becomes an addiction, and they simply can't get off the hamster wheel. They become ever more desperate to get the attention of the object of their desire. So not only do they start throwing wads of cash her way in a hopeless attempt to stand out in the crowd, but they start bowing and scrapping and white knighting in the cringiest ways imaginable. And they come to believe this is a normal relationship. That some kind of connection actually exists both ways between them and the provider. Some eventually get to the point where they snap because the relationship isn't going further, and then you get one more incel to add to society.
For the women, they're making heaps of cash preying off vulnerable men. They're also getting heaps of attention lavished on them from these same desperate men, which is something that would go to anyone's head. It's a powerful allure for women, because not only is it incredibly lucrative, allowing them to be independent and live a lifestyle they always dreamed of, but it strokes their ego to the point where they have an inflated sense of self. That last one isn't their fault; I mean, if I was being told over and over again by thousands of people how fantastic I am, it'd go to my head too. This inevitably fucks with their own personal relationships, because it tends to raise their standards dramatically, and besides, who needs a man when she's got her hoards of admirers?
These are generalizations of course, but I see a lot of both, and neither are healthy. It's another casualty of the digital age. I fear for a society where so much of the relationship between men and women becomes a commodity. Sex is one thing. Emotional connection another, specifically when it's not reciprocated.