The “Triangle of Tension”: How Sexy Content Captures Attention on Social Media

Why do some sexy content seem to occupy such an important place in social media feeds and live streams? In his video, Fanel offers an interpretation of this mechanism through what he calls the “triangle of tension.” According to him, three forces feed one another: the audience, the algorithm and money.

His analysis draws in particular on two phenomena that went viral: Kelly Badi’s dance videos in 2022 and nighttime live streams attributed to Nikapul in 2024. Beyond these specific cases, the video creator questions the role of users’ attention in the visibility and monetization of this type of content.

From Viral Dance to Live Entertainment

Fanel first looks back at the viral rise of Kelly Badi, presented in the video as a young Togolese woman living in the United States. In 2022, her TikTok videos, built around a dance, a tight-fitting outfit and hip movements, reportedly spread quickly far beyond the platform.

The creator emphasizes the format’s simplicity. It requires neither sophisticated staging nor particularly visible technical skill. This accessibility would allow many people to easily reproduce the dance, with or without variations. These recreations would then fuel the trend, while the growing number of videos would encourage their spread.

In this interpretation, the sexy dimension does not replace simplicity: it is added to it. It draws the eye, holds attention and triggers contrasting reactions. Some users applaud, while others criticize, but all of these reactions contribute to the content’s circulation.

Fanel sees this as a signal to people seeking greater visibility: on social media, displaying the body or using codes of seduction can appear to be a shortcut to breaking through. He does not present this idea as a universal rule, but as an increasingly visible logic in the content he observes on TikTok and Instagram.

“Cuit Lolo” Live Streams as an Amplification of the Model

The video then discusses the case of Nikapul, described as a 21-year-old Ivorian student living in the United States. In 2024, he reportedly launched nighttime live streams called “Cuit Lolo,” in which teenage girls are invited to dance and twerk in front of an online audience.

According to figures cited by Fanel, some of these live streams reportedly brought together more than 150,000 people connected simultaneously, with one peak exceeding 200,000 viewers. The video creator compares this audience to several football stadiums filled and connected at the same time. These figures are presented in the video as an illustration of a phenomenon on a very large scale.

The format would not be entirely new. Fanel mentions Instagram live streams popularized in Europe during lockdowns, notably by a creator he calls No Luny. However, he believes Nikapul turned this type of live stream into a regular, organized event: announcing the evenings, building audience anticipation, hosting and escalating tension during the live stream.

For the video creator, the difference therefore lies in the staging and regularity. The content no longer relies solely on an isolated video that may go viral; it becomes a scheduled collective show supported by a community of viewers.

When Attention Becomes a Source of Income

The third element highlighted is monetization. Fanel explains that viewers can send virtual gifts during TikTok live streams. He specifically mentions the rose, the galaxy and the lion, gifts purchased with real money.

He claims that Nikapul earns an average of between 2 and 3 million CFA francs per live stream, or between €3,000 and €4,500 according to the conversion given in the transcript. During certain record-breaking evenings, revenue may have reached as much as 8 million CFA francs, or more than $12,000 according to the video creator. These amounts are presented as estimates reported in his analysis.

The logic described is circular: the more the participants dance, the more the audience reacts; the more the audience reacts, the more gifts may pour in; and the more gifts arrive, the more likely the show is to continue. Fanel describes this mechanism as a vicious circle or a virtuous circle, depending on the perspective adopted, while emphasizing its economic potential.

He also mentions other sources of income associated with online fame: monetization on platforms, product placements and brand collaborations. In Kelly Badi’s case, he indicates that her buzz reportedly attracted the attention of brands looking to work with her.

The “Triangle of Tension”: Audience, Algorithm and Money

The core of the video rests on a three-part model that Fanel calls the “triangle of tension.”

1. The Audience

The first driver is the public. According to the video creator, content that triggers reactions attracts more attention, and sexy codes are a powerful factor in making people stop scrolling through videos. A dance, a tight-fitting outfit or a look can lead users to spend a few more seconds on a post.

Fanel states that content showing more of the body generates more likes and comments. He relies on this idea to explain why sensuality can become a central resource in the pursuit of visibility.

2. The Algorithm

The second driver is the algorithm. In the analysis presented, it does not make moral judgments about content: it primarily observes signals such as attention time, interactions and the ability to retain users.

When a video or live stream holds the public’s attention over time, the platform may then show it to more people. This distribution increases views, which in turn produces new favorable signals. Fanel also mentions revelations according to which TikTok would favor videos considered more attractive in order to maximize retention, without detailing those revelations in the transcript.

3. Money

The final driver is financial. Time spent on screen can generate advertising revenue for platforms. Creators, for their part, can access different forms of compensation: revenue sharing, virtual gifts or brand deals.

For Fanel, this is where the loop accelerates. If attention generates income, creators have an incentive to reproduce formats that work, or even make them more intense in order to maintain public interest.

An Attention Economy in Which Viewers Participate

The video does not place responsibility solely on creators or platforms. Fanel believes that users also participate in the system through their clicks, views, likes, shares and gifts.

His point is that attention acts as a form of currency: watching content contributes to its circulation and, in some cases, to its indirect funding through advertising or direct funding through virtual gifts. This idea leads him to ask a collective question: what types of content do users choose to support with their screen time?

Finally, he mentions OnlyFans as a possible outcome of this logic of direct monetization, where subscriptions directly compensate creators. In his presentation, this model reduces dependence on algorithmic virality by establishing an explicit transaction between content and payment.

The “triangle of tension” does not necessarily disappear: for Fanel, it can operate with different types of content. His question is less about the existence of this mechanism than about what audiences, platforms and creators choose to put into it.

FAQ

What is the “triangle of tension”?

It is the expression Fanel uses to describe the interaction between audiences, algorithms and money. The audience reacts to content, the algorithm can increase its distribution, and that visibility can then generate income.

Why does sexy content go viral according to this analysis?

According to the video, it easily catches the eye, prompts reactions and can hold attention. These signals then encourage its circulation on platforms.

What role do virtual gifts play during live streams?

Virtual gifts are paid for by viewers with real money. In Fanel’s analysis, they make it possible to turn attention into direct income for creators hosting the live streams.