Almost a year ago I decided to create a secondary anonymous Twitter account. It started as an experiment in freer expression when it comes to talking about LGBT-related subjects, sex, and of course politics. And the fact that the account is still alive says something, right?
Alter is the local term for such anonymous secondary Twitter accounts that people create for various reasons. The most readily visible use of course is for hooking up and you'll find a lot of headless chest photos asking if people want to Skype or meet up for whatever like an extension of Grindr and other gay dating apps. Then there are just that are deep in the closet and hoping to explore being LGBT without getting into trouble.
There's also an interesting section of the alter world devoted to People Living with HIV (PLHIV) who use the anonymity of the internet to talk about what they're going through, seek help for dealing with the side-effects of medication and basically just find people who understand them. It's more of the somewhat more endearing parts of Alter Twitter, in my opinion. They're really just a lot of people wanting to feel loved and valued despite how society seems to treat the PLHIV community.
There's a lot to be said about the Alter folks and I think I might try exploring that further in future blog posts. How about you guys - do you have an alter? What do you use alter for? Why do you think you need anonymity to say the things you say?
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