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Jakartans share horror stories, urban legends on '#JakartaEncounters'
For readers, the hashtag is a fun scroll for horror stories and urban legends, and especially relatable to those living and/or working in the capital.
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A vehicle passes a mostly empty and wet Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Jan. 1. (The Jakarta Post/Iqbal Yuwansyah)
B
eing a bustling modern city does not mean Jakarta is running out of inspiration for horror stories and urban legends, as recently shared on Twitter through the hashtag #JakartaEncounters.
On Friday afternoon, there were at least 220 tweets containing the hashtag, some joining in on the fun and sharing short stories, while others expressed how creeped out they were by them.
Twitter user @christasyd shared her own original short story using the hashtag, tweeting “You just finished the ensemble rehearsal for the concert at TIM [Taman Ismail Marzuki arts and culture center]. As you walk out of the hall you bump into a charming man, hair slicked back, asking about the saxophone you're holding. After a fun chat with him you asked him his name. ‘Ismail,’ he says with a smile.” @christasyd tweeted.
You just finished the ensemble rehearsal for the concert at TIM. As you walk out of the hall you bumped into a charming man, hair slicked back, asking about the saxophone you're holding.
— Christa Sydney (@christasyd) March 1, 2019
After a fun chat with him you asked him his name.
"Ismail," he smiled.#JakartaEncounters
Another user, @washingtondisy, pitched in, tweeting “Kemayoran, 22:45. On my way to Hotel Indonesia for a staycation (after 48 hours of working of course I deserve it) I stopped a taxi, told the driver my directions and now I've arrived. The meter says the rate is only Rp.420. It's cool until I realize something.”
Kemayoran, 22:45. On my way to Hotel Indonesia to hv a staycation (after 48 hours of working ofc I deserve it) I stopped a taxi, told the driver my direction n now I'm arrived. The argo says it's only RP.420,00 for my trip. It's cool until I realized something. #JakartaEncounters
— disy (@washingtondisy) March 2, 2019
The twitter handler referred to the Rp 420 (0.03 US cents) taxi fare in the 1960s.
Not all users tweeted creepy horror stories, some played with the hashtag to take a comedic turn, such as @anggamawl, who tweeted “An old friend whom I haven't heard from for in years asked to catch a movie for old time’s sake. It was fun, when the movie ended and we went outside, he whispered at me. ‘Bro, I have a new business. You should join, I’ll lend you the initial capital and you can pay me back later.’ #JakartaEncounters #Ponzischeme”
An old friend whom i haven't heard from for years asked to catch a movie for old time sake
— Angga M. Ibrahim (@anggamawl) March 2, 2019
It was fun, when the movie ended & we went outside, he whispered me..
"Bro, gue ada bisnis baru, join ya, ntar gue modalin dulu, lu ganti belakangan aja"#JakartaEncounters#Ponzischeme
For readers, the hashtag is a fun way to scroll horror stories and urban legends, and especially relatable to those living and/or working in the capital.
A 24-year-old Bekasi resident, Azka Meidiny, who commutes to Jakarta for work, said although the stories might not be entirely true, the stories shared made her feel as though she was experiencing them.
“Overall, the [stories] in the hashtag are interesting because writers must write under 240 characters and make it appealing to readers. Some stories also use exciting plot twists,” Azka said.
Christa Sydney, 22, started the hashtag after reading stories posted under the #ManilaEncounters and #KLEncounters hashtags on Facebook and Twitter.
She said the recurring themes under the #ManilaEncounters hashtag were based on events in the city such as the Ozone disco fire in 1998, the Pepsi Paloma suicide and Eat Bulaga hosts scandal, while Christa was a bit more familiar with #KLEncounters as she had lived in Malaysia for three years during college before returning to Jakarta as a concept artist.
“While with Manila I discovered and learned about a new culture, with KL I felt the chills because I used to live in the city,” Christa told The Jakarta Post.
The stories posted under the #JakartaEncounters, although referencing events and places that foreigners might not be familiar with, were in English, or a mix of English and Indonesian.
“I debated whether I should write the stories in Indonesian to reach out to local readers but in the end I decided to opt for English because it's more inclusive for our SEA brothers and sisters, as I wanted this to be a cultural exchange of sorts.” Christa said.
Some stories were based on real life events. Christa encourages people to contribute by using the hashtag, saying that they could use it to express their social critiques or simply as a way to express themselves.
However, Christa warned that people should not write about suicide just to get more engagement, just as Manilans tweeting on #ManilaEncounters had warned people as some started to tweet about suicide in an encouraging and inappropriate nature.
