Ari Kytsya is used to being in classrooms with phone screens illuminating the room, the buzzing sounds of TikTok in the air. But on Monday morning, she found herself in a different environment altogether. Gone are the ring lights; in their place, uplifted hands. Gone are algorithmic sounds, to be replaced with the sounds of more than one thousand two hundred students from the University of Washington in Psychology 210.
She was invited by Professor McNichols, a renowned psychology teacher known for her wide-ranging, research-based teaching on human sexuality. Her lecture for the day was on ‘digital labor, agency, and sexuality in the modern economy.’ Her lecture could be summarized by calling her ‘the guest speaker.’ She was an internet sensation with ‘millions of followers on TikTok, Instagram, and OnlyFans, aged 24.’
A short clip of her walking to the front of the class soon went viral on the internet. What began as an orderly scholarly discussion devolved into a national debate about sex work, higher education, and online intimacy.
A Professor’s Intent Meets a Public Ready to React
She explained why in an Instagram post, which has received thousands of comments. Her post read like an ode to, yet an explanation for, her decision.
‘Our manifestation worked. Yesterday, my class had the chance to hear from Ari Kytsya, someone who understandably sparks mixed reactions, but whose voice and lived experience are essential in any honest conversation about sexuality, labor, and the realities of today’s digital landscape.’
She credited Kytsya’s appearance as being one of candor rather than performance. The social media influencer discussed the time required to build an online presence, the emotional labor involved in creating content, and the risks associated with commercializing aspects of one’s identity on social media.
“She absolutely loves her job,” Dr. McNichols wrote. “But her advice to anyone considering it was blunt. Only do it if there is truly nothing else you want to do, because once your content is out there, it will follow you.”
Kytsya distinguished her own work on OnlyFans from what she saw as the broader adult industry, in that many adult performances now are based on fantasies with no necessary connection to real consent. In contrast, in independent works, autonomy, not corporations, shapes the environment.
One of the most talked-about moments was her candid discussion of her relationship with rapper Yung Gravy, saying it’s based on honesty, communication, and, most strikingly, their unusually high tolerance for being under a spotlight. The atmosphere in the room changed. Some students have said it’s in this moment that she became “personable” in her public image.
A Viral Video Sparks a Cultural Sensation
On the internet, the discussion was less reflective.
It did not take long for the clip to spread on X, TikTok, and other platforms, prompting the usual response to such posts: some viewers saw it as a harbinger for societal collapse.
“This era will be examined in history books to grasp the disintegration of the West.”
Some questioned the credentials to lecture on human sexuality, given that the speaker came from OnlyFans.
“This is an online prostitute, whose job is why there is so much porn sickness in our society.”
Another group layered their critique onto the cost of tertiary education.
“Now imagine paying one hundred thousand dollars for tuition to be lectured on by an OnlyFans model. America is cooked.”
These reactions ranged from moral panic to comedic.
“Online hoes invited to colleges, it’s crazy. What’s there to deliver? Digital prostitution?”
But amid all the backlash, some posters tried to inject context into the debate.
“If you are paying attention to internet slop like I do, you would know that 201 is a sex class,” one commenter posted. “I do not understand why this is such a big deal.”
Instead, it exposed more about the different views on sex work and internet culture than it did about what took place during the lecture itself. For every person threatening to delete their Twitter account, there was someone else claiming this was what needed to be studied in such an environment.
Inside the Auditorium, a Different Atmosphere Entirely
Even as the internet descended into chaos, students in the lecture theater described a more down-to-earth experience.
“It did not feel like a spectacle,” said one student. “It felt like we were trying to figure out the relationship between sex, the internet, and psychology.”
Guest lecturers from various areas in the sex industry have also long been incorporated into the course, with guests ranging from sex therapists to relationship researchers. Kytsya’s visit aligns with this practice.
Some students have described her as nervous at first, then increasingly candid once she realized she had the audience’s curiosity. Nobody in the auditorium shouted out any questions. Nobody recorded any responses to post on YouTube or other websites without her consent. The questions were centered on digital boundaries, parasocial relationships, burnout, and emotional labor.
“It’s really become apparent she’s had to deal with an awful lot of judgment,” said one student. “You could tell just how brave it is for her to live her life like she does.”
Likewise, in her post, Dr. McNichols emphasized that ‘Kytsya’s tale defied inherited stereotypes regarding sex, relationships, and work.
“Conversations like this expand empathy,” she wrote. “They remind us that the world is more complex and human than the myths we grow up with.”
