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Digital Accessibility

Social Media & Alt Text

Whether you are adding images to Instagram, X, Facebook, or LinkedIn, you can make your social media images more accessible by including alt text.

Adding Alt Text within Social Media Platforms

The process for adding alt text to your image differs depending on which social media platform you are using.

 

Solutions to Common Issues

Some social media platforms have limitations that make it difficult to add the appropriate alt text. These best practices will help you ensure your digital content is still as accessible as it can be.

  • Short Character Limits:
    Some social media platforms limit alt text to the point where you may have to rewrite a shorter version to make it fit. Start with the most important information first, including any text in the image. If possible, you consider describing the image in the post itself where you have more room.

  • Inability to Mark Images as Decorative:
    If you're unable to mark images as decorative in a particular platform, you will need to write alt text for the image. Since decorative images add no visual information to the screen, keep your alt text as short and helpful as possible. Do not leave the field blank!

  • No Option to Add Alt Text for Videos:
    Some social media platforms do not offer the option to add alt text to video thumbnails. You will need to describe the video thumbnail in the post or caption instead.

  • Cannot Add Alt Text to Stories:
    Most social media platforms that have a "Stories" feature do not support screen reader functionality for Stories. This means that not only is there no way to add alt text to the stories you post, writing your description as part of the story won't work either. 

    The best option is to make your story content available another way that people can access from your social profile. For example, create a post with the same information found in your story — there you can add alt text and a longer description if necessary.


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