Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Is adding alt text to Instagram posts helpful? (self.Blind)
submitted by GentlyWeepingGuitar_
Ever since I found out about the alt text setting on Instagram, I’ve been adding little descriptions to all of my posts, as one of my blind friends follows my page. However, the other day, I was testing out Voiceover on my iPhone, and I realized that it already does a pretty good job of guessing what’s in the picture via auto-generated description.
My question: Truly how helpful is adding alt text to Instagram posts? With my Voiceover settings, it ended up reading both descriptions (mine and auto-generated) aloud, so I’m curious if that might be cumbersome or annoying for some users.
I’m also aware that different screen readers operate with varying levels of verbosity, so the scenario I’m seeing is specific to Voiceover; it might act differently with Jaws, etc.
Edit: I’ve now gone through some of my recent Instagram posts and made the descriptions more vivid, since the vote is unanimous that alt text is better than auto generated descriptions. Thanks so much to everyone who commented!
My question: Truly how helpful is adding alt text to Instagram posts? With my Voiceover settings, it ended up reading both descriptions (mine and auto-generated) aloud, so I’m curious if that might be cumbersome or annoying for some users.
I’m also aware that different screen readers operate with varying levels of verbosity, so the scenario I’m seeing is specific to Voiceover; it might act differently with Jaws, etc.
Edit: I’ve now gone through some of my recent Instagram posts and made the descriptions more vivid, since the vote is unanimous that alt text is better than auto generated descriptions. Thanks so much to everyone who commented!
Emmenias 18 points 1y ago
Adding alt text is always helpful! Firstly, because not everyone is using Voice Over, either because of personal preferences or (more likely) because apple is hecking expensive. But secondly, because we should never settle for just patching social problems with technology. Even the best image-describing softwere will get things wrong in ways both big and subtle, miss jokes and other nuonse and ... be less human. I love reading image descriptions that contain emotion, such as those where it is obvious the writer is passionate about clothing, or really in love with their kitten who has such a cute little nose oh my god how could you ever resist booping it? An image description can tell you what is on the image, but I think it is even more lovely if it tells you a little about the person who posted it, as well.
GentlyWeepingGuitar_ [OP] 4 points 1y ago
That’s really sweet, I never thought about it that way!
Shadowwynd 10 points 1y ago
If possible, always add your own captions and alternate text. This gives you control over all of the connotation and denotation. You get to decide what matters and not an AI somewhere. For example, there’s a huge difference between “old woman with child at a playground” and “Our volunteer plays with a child at our new playground”
GentlyWeepingGuitar_ [OP] 3 points 1y ago
That’s so true, thanks for responding!
Marconius 7 points 1y ago
The image recognition will *always* pale in comparison to properly written alt text, as when you write it, you can focus specifically on the details of the subject and flesh out what is important in the photo. Image Recognition, whether it's generated by VoiceOver or auto-generated by Facebook or Instagram will only gigive you rudimentary basics and generalized descriptions with sorely lacking details.
Tarnagona 7 points 1y ago
I don’t use Instagram, but if the auto descriptions are like Facebook (same company, so I’d assume so), they’re only good with common things. For example, I’m in some cross stitch and embroidery groups, and when I browse Facebook with VoiceOver, it doesn’t recognize most pictures of people’s work.
LilacRose32 4 points 1y ago
It is helpful.
Though I don’t use instagram as it is all about images- the few with descriptions don’t really interest me
Though I don’t use instagram as it is all about images- the few with descriptions don’t really interest me
vwlsmssng 3 points 1y ago
A UK charity called Scope have project on internet accessibility called "The Big Hack".
This article on Instagram accessibility discusses alt-text amongst other matters:
https://bighack.org/how-to-make-your-instagram-account-more-accessible/
This article on Instagram accessibility discusses alt-text amongst other matters:
https://bighack.org/how-to-make-your-instagram-account-more-accessible/
GentlyWeepingGuitar_ [OP] 2 points 1y ago
This link is really helpful.
TechnicalPragmatist 2 points 1y ago
I’ve seen some very weird and incorrect ai generated description like I took a picture touching and next to the liberty bell. The ai software got it right sometimes but at one point this is gym equipment. It was so funny because I am like that’s pretty old and heavy and riddiculously big gym equipment for sure.
Another time I had this thing say a hospital inside a guitar. I kid you not. I was like what did I hear? A hospital can’t be inside a guitar. How…. Could it….?
Another time I had this thing say a hospital inside a guitar. I kid you not. I was like what did I hear? A hospital can’t be inside a guitar. How…. Could it….?
SightlessKombat 2 points 1y ago
Was going to come and say that you should never rely on autogeneration, but seems like you've taken that advice to heart. Don't just do it on Insta though, do it on everything. Keep up the good work.
OldManOnFire 2 points 1y ago
Not here to say anything helpful about Instagram. Just wanted to say you have a lovely user name, OP.
GentlyWeepingGuitar_ [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Thanks! Yours is “fire” as well.
ukifrit 2 points 1y ago
it's not even close to a human made description.
AnElusiveDreamer 2 points 1y ago
Please always include alt text! It vastly improves my Instagram experience.
GentlyWeepingGuitar_ [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Definitely will do.
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