The Internet Re-Invents the Escort Business
The advent of the on-line age has changed how the escort business works. Women are now going into business for themselves, in some cases skipping the escort agencies entirely, by utilizing social networking.
Since Craigslist.org’s crack down of their “adult services” section, many London escorts are turning to Facebook, among other sites, in an effort to generate business. In 2008, polls showed that Facebook accounted for twenty-five percent of escort bookings for New York escorts. Escort agencies only accounted for thirty-one percent.
Clearly, the escort business has gone digital, and has been for some time. Will the move from craigslist.org to Facebook help, or hurt the business of escorts? While only time can tell for sure, it’s worth noting that the location-based system of craigslist.org often led to activists and over-zealous police forces hassling those who provide escort services. Could the decentralized style of Facebook make it harder for activists to stir up trouble over the existence of escorts? Or will Facebook’s tendency to track users be a downside?