Using virtual ethnography as a research method, the alter community was studied, with a particular focus on the changes brought about by the phenomenon. However, it has been observed that in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in exclusive-access videos offered for a fee which points to a phenomenon referred to in this paper as commodification. They thrive on using anonymous 'alter' accounts in the social networking site Twitter where members upload these pornographic materials for direct access by its members, often without a fee. The alter community is a virtual collection of mostly gay individuals who mutually benefit from the production and consumption of free-access amateur pornographic photos and videos.
