2w ago

[META] Community feedback sought on our proposed adoption of a new posting requirement: Providing alternative text with every post and comment that includes videos, GIFs or images

We now require alternative text (from now to referred to as "alt text") to be added to all posts/comments containing media, such as images, animated GIFs, videos, audio files, and custom emojis.
EDIT: For files you share in the comments, a simple summary should be enough if they’re too complex.

We are committed to social equity and to reducing barriers of entry, including (digital) communication and culture. It takes each of us only a few moments to make a whole world of content (more) accessible to a bunch of folks.

When alt text is absent, a reminder will be issued. If you don't add the missing alt text within 48 hours, the post will be removed. No hard feelings.

If there are no clear and valid objections from the community, we will fully adopt the requirement in a week or so.

Draft for sidebar rule

We require alternative text (from now referred to as "alt text") to be added to all posts/comments containing media, such as images, animated GIFs, videos, audio files, and custom emojis.
We are committed to social equity and to reducing barriers of entry, including (digital) communication and culture. It takes each of us only a few moments to make a whole world of content (more) accessible to a bunch of folks.
When alt text is absent, a reminder will be issued. If you don't add the missing alt text within 48 hours, the post will be removed. No hard feelings.

Draft for guideline page in our wiki

(since the instance wiki is currently unusable, we were unable to expand the wiki accordingly; we will follow up on this when possible)

Guidelines for writing alternative text (from now referred to as "alt text")
For more details please feel free to take a look here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20241210022539/https://mashable.com/article/how-to-write-alt-text-memes-social-media
https://web.archive.org/web/20250319140047/https://veroniiiica.com/how-to-write-alt-text-for-memes/#expand
https://web.archive.org/web/20250312100159/https://www.afb.org/digital-inclusion/accessibility-resources/writing-effective-image-descriptions
Where to write it
Media posts
For image posts (including animated ones) this can easily be done using the alt text field provided by Lemmy.
For videos please provide these in the post's body.
Embeds (read: in post body or comments): When embedding media in your posts or comments (regardless of media type) you can use markdown to add a label (aka. alt text).
unlabelled embed: ![](https://example.com/image.jpg)
labelled embed: ![Earth viewed from the Moon](https://example.com/image.jpg)
How to write it
The following steps are there to establish a help framework/standard, but are not a hard requirement, especially since they aren't always applicable
General advice:
Be descriptive, but concise
Avoid extra phrases like "an image of" - the screen reader already knows the media type
Summarize the purpose (alt text should convey the meaning or intent of the medium just as much as it describes the actual elements represented)
Standard emoji are screen reader accessible and thus are allowed without descriptions
Audio content must be transcribed if it does not already have a transcript or accessible subtitles
Additional guidelines, which we include because – if ignored – they make the job of screen readers harder or might make the output less useful for the people who utilise them
Never add line breaks to alt text
Never add the double quotes from whatever keyboard you use to alt text
Don't write words in all-caps
Avoid abbreviations like the plague if you can
Don't type out emoticons
Always end your sentences and your image descriptions with a full stop
Images:
Write the main caption first (eg. the top/bottom text)
Describe the background if essential
Describe subjects in a logical order (iterate the following for each subject:)
For subjects with a caption next to them, write the caption first
Explain what the subject looks like and what it is doing

Don't be afraid to give away the punchline when it would otherwise be hard to get
Animated Images/Videos:
WRITE A CONTENT WARNING (if applicable): Be specific about what is in the content warning. In the context of flashing lights, it is recommended to use terms like "strobe lights", "flashing lights", "strobing", "seizure warning", or similar
Use image steps where it makes sense
Write a transcript of relevant on-screen text
Write out all spoken audio, adding environmental sounds if they are important for understanding the video
For videos you should provide an alt text that conveys the general context and a description where sensible. -(E.g. if your video includes dialogue that is not reflected in subtitles, you are required to provide a transcript of it in the video description.)

27 comments

The level of labor you're asking for in transcription precludes sharing anything in longer form. We're not content creators in general and while you are certainly free to restrict your community to being that you should understand fully that that's what you're doing.
- Nothing is set in stone here, do you mean transcription of videos?
  Bc videos are virtually never shared here and the format of YouTube/Discord memes - type videos is not rly in the scope of this community anyway
  If you mean videos shared in comments, we should maybe clarify that those are out of scope
  
  In comments they certainly might be though. I agree that long form is outside of your scope in posts but you should watch out with being over draconian on rules in regards to comments. Nobody should have to transcript a video they link to in a reply.
- Also an annoyance with the standard Lemmy software (clients may fix it) is that alt-text is handled only in markup (not saved with the saved media) so if you want to post it in a comment later you need to copy the markup (from the post/comment where you first posted it) each time rather than from your uploads. Probably an issue for most files hosts (not offering alt-text) too.
  Unless there is some file host that handles this?
  EDIT: Posting in a community like this helps with this, though still will suffer when organization becomes an issue and also niche/comment-reply memes that don't really make sense as a singular post.
  
  Lemmy has an alt text field when you upload images as the main post

I'd make this optional encouragement instead of requirement. I try to add alt text to the images I post in general. Sometimes I have the time to do it, other times I don't. If I had to always add it, I'd simply not post when I don't have the time to add it.
- I also feel the same way sometimes, but tbh, I'd rather go for quality and accessibility over quantity
  
  In my experience, these types of strict requirements typically provide neither, and just kill engagement in leftist spaces. It’s actually a tactic recommended in the CIA simple sabotage field manual, because it’s such an effective method of sabotaging leftist movements.
  Encouraging it is one thing. Requiring it is textbook ‘letting perfect be the enemy of good.’

I would encourage you to go through providing alt-text for some of the memes that are shared here.
Examples of alt text are usually against 'reaction memes' (which dont take more than 20 seconds). However, the more detailed memes I see from folk will genuinely take a few minutes of scrolling up and down to transcribe in detail what is being shown. An example of the 4 panel meme showing text on the left and text on the right will be 12 sentence-paragraphs long to articulate what is shown. Memes are funny not because of what is literally written, but also the insinuation or context that might not be written.
I accept the quality versus quantity, but this should be recognised as a barrier of entry for others, and will be at the expense of engagement. I'd suggest giving it a test period and see how it goes. It would also help if all mods led by example, I only see sporadic usage of this.
- Just fyi that this is, as already stated, a test period/provisional rule
  I'd also say that not being able to post when you don't have the motivation to write alt text vs not being able to participate at all / even "consume" the content, is quite negligible
  (see other comment regarding valid reasons of ppl not being able to write alt text)
  And as with any rule change, this doesn't apply to the past, but to all post made after the time of the announcement
  (if you go through my post history in this com of the last few month, I'm pretty sure that 90% of the posts have at least serviceable alt text; though I admit that they are not always up to the standard set here, which I will abide by from now on too ofc)
  (I do not mean to sound negative or dismissive btw, am just tired)
  
  It doesn't make it really seem its a test, unless maybe it does somewhere and I'm not quite reading it correctly. It says feedback otherwise it will be the new rule moving forwards which sounds like it is going to happen.
  I think you have, but its not everyone. In the end, I'm a lurker so take my feedback with salt. It is a right/good thing to do, it will have some other effects.

While this is a good idea, I'll do the silly devil's advocate thingy by asking: how about writing impaired people?
As a concrete example, I've had to accompany someone with ALS through the final months of their lives. They liked to share their content online (they were a photographer), but it sometimes took all their physical energy for one day to simply upload a couple images on social media. Adding alt text would have been a strong no-no for them.
This example is an extreme edge case, I doubt such a person would share lefty memes on Lemmy, but I'm sure there's less extreme cases around of people who might have solid accessibility reasons for not being able to write alt texts (unfamiliarity with english? strong dysgraphia? multiple sclerosis?).
Anyway, this whole devils advocate thing aside, this is a good rule. Ignore the haters and do it.
- You do bring up a valid — if niche — argument tho. Mb adding smth like "if you have serious issues with writing alternative text, please DM one of the mods, or say so after posting or under our comment reminding you of this rule. We will gladly help you come up with alternative texts and waive the reminders in the comments. Or post the our suggestions under it (depending on whether you have an issue with outing yourself publicly, you don't have to state a specific reason if you don't want to. A trust based system would be our go to)"
  ofc this isn't the concise version, just ad hoc writeup

These are ridiculously draconian rules for allowing a meme post but you do you. Unless this post is a meme, in which case, well done, it makes good satire
- Are you familiar with Mastodon and how people add alt text to most images shared there? This is meant as a codified analogue to that. If you have specific suggestions, please feel free to share. As I said in another comment: nothing is set in stone about this rule
  
  It's a meme-posting community. If you want posts, requiring that much effort is likely to work against that goal.
  Specific suggestion: let people post memes, using alt text if they choose, or without it if they choose. They are glorified shit posts, typically very low-effort endeavors, and the act of sharing them should be have an equally low bar.

27 comments