The new economics of sex work Economists have largely ignored sex work despite it being a large industry worth almost $100bn annually, with new research methods emerging to study this complex market.

The internet is changing the nature of sex work—and making it easier for economists to examine X-rated markets

I’m presenting my research “Outsourcing Digital Intimate Labour” at the BSA @britsoci.bsky.social WES @wesjnl.bsky.social Conference next Tuesday 9th at 15:30-17:00 (paper session 7) in Room 3.205 (Technology & work stream)
📚💻💕👩‍🏫

#wesconf25

Timing update: Now @ 11:30am

If you’re headed to the MeCCSA @meccsa.bsky.social 2025 Conference @ Edinburgh Napier University this week be sure to catch me presenting my research on “Outsourcing Digital intimate Labour” on the 5th in Room CRL_1/119 @ 9:30am! 📚💻 💕

www.meccsa.org.uk/events/confe...

www.smbc-comics.com/comic/humanity

screen shot of text from an online post: "Wow, so I'm currently working on a book project and a few months back I had a dialogue with ChatGPT about some concepts in the book. I used language that is quite specific to my project and unlikely to appear anywhere else, even in Google searches. One of the concepts is a neologism. Just for explanatory purposes, let's say it's something like "inter-unintelligibility." (Just an example, not the word I use.) The undergraduate class I'm teaching is related to the topic of my book. Last week, students turned in short papers. And guess what? Two of twenty papers used this precise neologism in the title, even with the hyphens. It's not a phrase I've ever used in class, and does not appear in our readings, nor in Google searches ("no results found for ____".) Other very specific phrases from that short ChatGPT interaction I had also appear in their work."

*pinches my nose so hard it falls off*

Disrupting Technology Conference 2025, Leeds The 3rd international conference on Disrupting Technology will be held on Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th June 2025 at Cloth Hall Court, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

I look forward to presenting my research on “Outsourcing Digital Intimate Labour” at the 3rd International Disrupting Technology Conference, 16th & 17th June in Leeds - Registration now open!

business.leeds.ac.uk/research-cer...

@postsocialismus post on that fascist platform: “What people fear about entering Russia is already the new normal in the USA. My colleague in PolSci entered the USA from Europe recently to attend ISA Convention. Her colleagues, all Germans, were forced to open their laptops and show content of their research presentations.”

An ICE contractor says it can scrape adult fan sites for identity data “to connect the dots” between various identities and profiles — OF, JFF, PayPal, CashApp, Fetlife, your mainstream social.

Theoretically can only scrape “live” publicly available data, but terrifying regardless.

@lilithbrouwers.bsky.social, @katerhardy.bsky.social, & Prof. Kim Allen will present their experiences from the @ywworking.bsky.social project

A black set of shelves against a red wall. The face out books on the top row L-R are The Holy Hour by Molly B Simmons, Rent Girl by Michelle Tea, We Too (with the label back in stock) by Natalie West, Revolting Prstitutes by Molly Smith and Juno Mac, Prstitute Laundry by Charlotte Shane. On the 2nd shelf the face out books are the Ethical Strpper by Stacey Clare, Sluts by Michelle Tea, Working It by Matilda Bickers, Hustling Verse, This is My Real Name by Cid V Brunet. The 3rd shelf is Harlots Whres and Hackabouts by Kate Lister, The Covent Garden Ladies, The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, A Honest Woman by Charlotte Shane, Truth and Lies by Arika and NUM. On the bottom shelf you can see Routledge International Handbook of Sx Industry Research, Internet Sx Work, Flexible Workers, Paying for Sx in a Digital Age, Policing the Sx Industry

It's International S-x Workers’ Rights Day today but it's always time for sx workers' rights at The Scarlett Letters!

Come and view our incredible selection of SW books - including some very rare finds - in store and online

www.scarlettletters.co.uk/category/non...

Graphic of a Black femme person holding up a sign that says "SEX WORKERS RIGHTS DAY". Basis Yorkshire logo.

Graphic of red umbrella with text: "SEXWORK IS NOT ILLEGAL IN ENGLAND & WALES, BUT MANY ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH IT ARE." "A ‘prostitute’ is defined by law as someone who has offered or provided sexual services in return for any financial arrangement on at least one occasion. Working as a ‘prostitute’ in private is legal. It is illegal for a ‘prostitute’ to solicit or loiter in a public place. A brothel is defined as premises where two or more ‘prostitutes’ or escorts work. It is an offence for a person to keep, or to manage, or act or assist in the management of, a brothel."

Graphic with text: "Basis Sex Work Project can provide you with safety, information and support surrounding your rights and welfare. We can also provide specialist information on sex work, the law and sex worker rights." "Call or email the office (10am-5pm Monday to Friday - except thursdays): 0113 243 0036 or info-basis@basisyorkshire.org.uk"

It's International Sex Worker' Rights Day! ☂

Today, sex workers around the world continue to call for safety, justice and inclusion. Although sex work is not illegal in England & Wale, many activities associated with it are.

Find out more: buff.ly/4id85xr

#ISWRD #InternationalSexWorkersRightsDay

Sex, and sex work in particular, is the stone they sharpen their legal knives on.

Legislators know that few people will stand up and defend porn or sex work more broadly, and it allows them to pass bills that they can then use to harass, intimidate and jail other forms of expression.

Sexual rights are human rights, and if you won't defend the right to consensual sexual expression, you can't adequately defend consent, gender expression, sexuality, reproductive care, and a whole lotta speech.

Throwing "sex" under the bus is complying in advance with Christian Nationalism.

"Pornography" is a dog-whistle, same as "DEI" and "woke" — a pretext for broad censorship and repression of issues related sex and gender.

Unfortunately, too many on the left take it at face value ... and distance themselves from fights. We need much broader awareness and our allies to fight back.

Call for Papers: CERIC Doctoral Conference 2025 CERIC warmly invites postgraduate researchers at all stages to the 2025 CERIC Doctoral Conference ‘Sustainable Development and the Future of Work’ on Wednesday May 21, 2025, in a hybrid mode.

📣 Call for papers for the CERIC Doctoral Conference 2025 is now live! 📣

📅 Wednesday 21st May, 2025

📍 Clarendon Building, University of Leeds, UK
@universityofleeds.bsky.social

Abstracts up to 300 words via email to: cericphd@leeds.ac.uk

❗ Deadline Wednesday 16th April, 2025 ❗

bit.ly/4jTNJu2

I'm seeing a lot of similarities in the race towards AI and the early days of social media growth. Here's why.

Today is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.

It may be the first time I'm spending it alone. The grief has hit hard this year. I'm fed up seeing my friends die, refused healthcare and treated poorly.

Please read the quote from a friend. #IDEVASW

Published my first piece as a Forbes contributor yesterday. thanks for sharing, @arturoarriagada.bsky.social !

Like ‘old Twitter’: The scientific community finds a new home on Bluesky After recent changes to Elon Musk’s X, a gradual migration turns into a stampede

“The majority has spoken, and researchers are moving en masse” to Bluesky, says @shaine.bsky.social.

Couldn't help myself and had to write about science twitter, X, bluesky and "the migration"...
www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪

I’m Vix. I should not pursue a Masters in Psychology. It will be too hard for me I should become a therapist or counsellor instead because that doesn’t involve math or statistics.

Spoiler: I got a distinction.

5 weeks ago @ the @pgrswn conference. Can we just take a minute to appreciate how awesome and totally on brand for me the @nationaluglymugs.bsky.social x @vaginamuseum.bsky.social t-shirt I’m wearing is! ❤️

Curious about the creator economy? Join us tomorrow for our first #CCSNChats event! Industry insight meets academic expertise in a virtual roundtable ❤️‍🔥

Book your ticket HERE: www.eventbrite.com/e/ccsn-chats...

Calling Online Sexual Content Creators with Assistants AND Calling Virtual Assistants to Adult content Creators! Share your experiences in a questionnaire on working relationships in the digital sex industry. For each completed £5 donated to @HAHcampaign
Please email or DM for link

#ODILstudy

Link is here - leedsubs.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...