The Surprising History of Cam Sites
Cam sites are hugely popular right now, attracting millions of performers and paying viewers every day. But have you ever wondered how adult camming all came about?
Read on to discover the surprising history of the cam chat sites you know and love.
1991: The invention of the webcam
Believe it or not, the first webcam was invented thanks to a coffee pot.
Tech geeks at the former Computer Laboratory at Cambridge University were fed up with walking to the coffee pot located near the Trojan Room, only to find it empty. So, in 1991, a camera was set up which provided a live picture of the pot to all staff computers.
Two years later, they managed to hook this camera up to the internet. And so, the Trojan Room Coffee Pot become the first cam star on the world wide web.
1996: The first cam site
19-year-old Jennifer Ringley soon showed us that webcams could be pointed at more than just coffee pots.
Long before the days of social media, the student set up a webcam above the computer in her dorm room, to upload an unedited stream of her everyday life to the web.
The Jennicam site proved a huge hit. At its peak, it was attracting over 4 million paying subscribers every day. And many say we have Jennicam to thank for the invention of reality TV.
Some viewers were interested from a sociological perspective. But Jennifer was known to leave her webcam on while changing and having sex. So, most viewers found a different kind of satisfaction from her streams.
2000s: The rise of online adult chat sites
Thanks to better internet access and the rise of devices with built-in cameras, webcamming boomed at the start of the 21st century. Webcams started to be used for all kinds of things, from business conferencing calls to security surveillance.
But Jennicam had proved there was huge demand for live adult shows. So it wasn’t long before adult models started to make use of webcams, performing erotic acts for paying viewers from the comfort of their own homes.
And performers quickly realise a way to boost their profits: by allowing customers to chat to them while they stream.
At first, cam chat was a small niche in the world of adult entertainment. But by 2016, it had become the “engine of the porn industry”, according to sex journalist Alec Helmy.
Today: The importance of choosing the right cam site
Webcam modelling is now more accessible than ever before. The internet is packed with cam sites like Chaturbate, Live Jasmin, Streamate, and CamSoda, allowing you to quickly start earning from home.
But not all modern cam chat sites are created equal.
If you’re looking to get started as an online adult performer, it’s important to choose a reputable site. You need a site that offers good support and fair pay. You need a site which protects your security, while also connecting you with thousands of customers.
Register with Chatrecruit today. You could be working on one of our approved cam sites before the end of the day.