Sex work online: professionalism between affordances and constraints

The integration of new technologies into sex work has significantly transformed the industry, creating virtual marketplaces and facilitating new forms of sex work. This article examines the impact of information-communication technologies (ICTs) on sex work, highlighting the dual nature of digitalization as both a catalyst for empowerment and a source of new challenges for sex workers. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach that includes online surveys and focus groups with sex workers in Slovenia, the research explores the professional experiences, opportunities, and risks faced by sex workers in both online and offline settings. The findings reveal that while digital platforms offer increased visibility, autonomy, and access to broader markets, they also introduce risks such as privacy violations, digital violence, and techno-stress. Moreover, the study challenges the optimistic view of ICTs in sex work by uncovering how digitalization can perpetuate existing inequalities and introduce novel forms of exploitation and stigma. Through comparative analysis, this paper contributes to the discourse on sex work in the digital age, emphasizing the need for nuanced policies and support systems that address the complexities of sex work within the framework of platform capitalism.