In the modern era, language is evolving faster than the dictionary can keep up. Words can take on a completely different meaning in the societal blink of an eye, and established practices can be thrown out in favor of a new standard overnight. In keeping with the changing landscape of media, so too has the definition of "pornography" shifted a great deal. Prior to the days of OnlyFans, with a few outliers, when people said "porn" they typically meant something produced with some level of skill and distributed either via physical medium or membership site.

With the introduction of tube sites and the proliferation of fan-based subscription sites, it has become difficult to delineate exactly what "porn" entails in this ultra-digital age. However, there are important differences between the "porn" of yesteryear which still persists, and the new age of "porn" which can be made in the blink of an eye with a cell phone and a tripod. While all types of consensual adult content have their place in the ecosystem, it is important to recognize that there are key differences between what industry folks now commonly refer to as "Studio Content" or "Mainstream Porn" compared to the relatively new term "User-Generated Content."

User-generated content is not a porn-specific term, and can apply to pretty much any type of content that someone could make on their own with little equipment or production value. This includes YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and any site where a registered user may upload whatever their heart desires (as long as it fits within the terms and conditions of the host site). Creativity and accessibility have never been higher, but with heightened accessibility also comes increased risk of bad actors. While many sites which are UGC-based have implemented filters and checks to hold people accountable for what they upload, the fact remains that user-generated content simply does not contain the same types of regulation that a studio set does, in the same way that a hollywood film has a lot more paperwork and accountability checkpoints than a student film uploaded to YouTube for class credit.

Here are some of the biggest differences people might not realize about mainstream studio content versus user-generated content.