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Alt Text on Instagram
Overview
On November 28, 2018 (PT), Instagram announced “automatic alternative text” so people can “hear descriptions of photos through your screen reader” (announcement). Instagram documents that automatic alt text “uses object recognition technology to provide a visual description of photos...for people with visual impairments,” and users can also add or edit custom alt text (help article). Quote: “Automatic alt text uses object recognition technology...” (same source). Lesson: accessibility improves when creators can override automation.
Why it matters
Without alt text, blind and low-vision users lose access to core context (who is pictured, what is happening, what text appears in the image). Automatic alt text increases baseline coverage, but it can be incomplete or wrong; custom alt text restores author intent and accuracy (Instagram help). The benefit is not niche: once a platform normalizes alt text, it improves inclusive content creation habits everywhere. Treat alt text as product infrastructure: make it easy to add, easy to edit after posting, and easy to audit at scale.
Learn more
- https://www.afb.org/blindness-and-low-vision/using-technology/accessible-social-media
- WebAIM: Alternative Text - https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/
- https://www.perkins.org/how-to-add-alt-text-on-social-media/
- Write helpful Alt Text to describe images | Digital Accessibility Services - https://accessibility.huit.harvard.edu/describe-content-images
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