IT'S 1 A.M., AND MY FANFIX INBOX HAS LIT up with a notification from one of the influencers I follow. "hey babe, are you busy? do you have time for me? we can chit chat :)." The sender, @kaylavoid-a 19-year-old TikTok influencer and YouTuber who specializes in lipsync videos and beach lifestyle (read: bikini) content, and who was suggested among the platform's "on the rise" creators when I made my account-is clearly eager for my attention. What's not clear from her message, and is only laid out via a pop-up alert once I try to hit send on my reply, is that she's set the price of chitchatting at $5 per message (plus a 78-cent processing fee).
Over at Passes, a similar platform that allows content creators to sell tiered subscriptions to exclusive photos and videos they post of themselves, it's at least clear that engaging with the influencers I follow will cost me.
When reading a "you there rn?" missive I received from one of them-a young woman whose TikTok and Instagram content consists mostly of lip syncs, dances, and beach pics-a banner in the chat thread alerts me to the fact that I have no free messages available and can only send one with a "tip" attached (creators can set the tip minimum; it's typically around $3). On both Passes and Fanfix, you can see creators' public posts for free; subscribing offers you access to exclusive photos and videos.
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