Though publicly frowned upon, "Alter Twitter" offers a digital space where users can hide their true identities and flirt. For Indonesian users, it offers an escape from a society that is more judgmental of their sexual preferences, orientations, kinks and all other things that remain taboo, even as topics of discussion.

Users can create an “Alter” account on the highly popular social media platform, which user Alter Pilipinas (@alterpilipinas) defines as “a pseudonym or 2nd account used to express oneself in a more discreet way without risking one's true identity”. Hence, the term “Alter Twitter” came into digital being.

These Twitter “Alters” can take advantage of the anonymity of the internet to become an "alternative" version of themselves without caring about societal mores, thus creating a safe space for adults who want to meet others and look at each other’s intimate pictures, with many hoping that it will lead to more.

Users of Twitter’s Alter communities commonly have a “base”, a public but anonymous account that its followers use to communicate with each other. These followers can send a direct message to the account by using specific keywords, and their tweets are automatically posted to the account's timeline in a matter of seconds.

Only a few of these bases exist, but most have thousands of followers with two to three tweets posted every five minutes at times of peak activity.

In general, a user is active on Alter Twitter if their account has tweets, profiles and photos that lean toward NSFW (Not Safe For Work) and adult content. But many Alters don’t post or engage with any sexual content and are simply there to express their "hidden" self, whatever that means to them.

Testing the waters

Many Alter Twitter users prefer staying anonymous and avoid disclosing anything personal.

Jaka Irwan (not his real name), a waiter in Jakarta, initially made an Alter Twitter account to rant and rave. He later discovered various base accounts that offered anonymity and tight communities, and he made some friends.

Social anonymity: Alter users create a public base account on Twitter to provide a safe, anonymous digital space for communicating about anything and everything. (Pexels/Pixabay) (Pixabay/Courtesy of Pexels)

Though he is more comfortable with being anonymous, Jaka says he has nothing to hide.

"I'm gay. I'm not really open [about my orientation] at work, but my friends back home know and some members of my family like my aunt, sister, uncle and brother seem to realize that I'm gay, but they don't care," he said.

Sarah Sandra (not her real name), a 25-year-old legal worker from Surakarta, used to be an active Alter Twitter user just two years ago but has since stopped.

"In early 2019, I had just finished college and wanted to start something new. I found an 18+ Alter Twitter base and followed them using my real account. Then I thought, 'It's not safe here,' so I made a fake account with a new alias," said Sarah.

Many base followers make their intentions clear from the get-go, often through tweets that list their gender, age, location and their preferred gender of a new partner. Sarah wasn’t looking to meet anyone new, however, and initially created her Alter account to post photos of herself in lingerie and other revealing clothes in search of validation.

"I'm a plus-size woman and I used [Alter Twitter] as a way to accept my body. I began collecting sexy lingerie and took full-body pictures without revealing my face. I wanted to see how others, as the 'market', responded to my body," she said.

"Apparently, many loved it. I expected people would not like females with plus-size bodies, but they actually did love it," she recalled.

Other than validation, she also gained several new friends and had a few flings. What started out as direct messages to exchange pictures and invitations to meet in person, ended up in bed, just like a regular hookup.

In the best-case scenario, these online hookups lead to a steady relationship, though this is a rarity in the Alter Twitter universe.

Not sex work

Using her Alter account, Sarah met people in different cities, some of whom bought her gifts to please her. She found herself entangled in a surprise affair after she accepted an invitation from a male Alter user to meet him at a hotel in Jakarta.

"What made me say yes was [that] I also needed to get some work done in Jakarta. I thought extending [my business trip] for several days wouldn't hurt, but then I stayed for a week," she recalled.

The man paid for a full week at the hotel and left Sarah there, on her own, after three days. He also gave her “some pocket money”.

"He just left me and did not contact me at all. Only after I left the Alter Twitter scene, I learned that he was [married],” she said. “So I assumed he left me so suddenly because his wife became suspicious."

Sarah objects to being equated with a sex worker because she wasn't after the money, only a consenting partner with similar needs.

"Another man once asked me to stay at his house in Yogyakarta for two weeks and asked for my 'fee', and I was like 'No, I'm not a prostitute.' That's the difference," she stressed, although she believed that some users assumed that female Alters were online sex workers.

"Maybe some women do offer [such services] and sell nude pictures on Alter Twitter. But not all of them are, at least not me," she said.

Risky proposition

Like any relationship that develops online, meeting a sexual partner through an Alter Twitter community risks the possibility they don’t meet a user’s expectations, especially in bed.

"I've heard stories from other users who complained about their partner’s performance," said Sarah, who had also heard stories of male partners forcing their fetishes and kinks without asking or went further than what was agreed.

Alternative society: Indonesian users are joining the Alter Twitter trend of anonymous communities geared toward adult users. (Unsplash/Jeremy Zero) (Unsplash/Courtesy of Jeremy Zero/Unsplash)

"Some men think that when a woman says 'no', it means ‘try harder’. They don't understand that no means no," she said.

Sarah also stressed it was crucial that Alter users, especially female users, knew how to protect themselves and set their boundaries before meeting a potential partner.

"We have to [be on our guard]. For example, I was always the one who booked the room. When choosing the hotel, I made sure it was not that far from my house and in the middle of the city,” she said. “I also prefer to meet in a [public place] rather than getting picked up at home."

Jaka, on the other hand, prefers to entirely avoid the risk and complications that come with meeting in person. Because of his sexual orientation and the pandemic, he is more wary about seeking a sex partner online, regardless of the anonymity that Alter Twitter provides.

"Personally, I'm not looking for a partner, especially at the base, because I already know the nature [of the relationship],” said Jaka. At the end of the day, he added, “They're strangers.”

Sarah left Alter Twitter for good after a year. "I deactivated my [Alter] account. It just doesn't bring joy anymore, and there is still the pandemic."

"Sometimes I miss the people I became friends with, but I don't think we will meet again since people there change their usernames often," she said.

What happens in the Alter Twitter universe are mere fleeting moments, just like many relationships are in the offline world.

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