Justin Yarbrough

Digital accessibility professional, writer, speaker, and advocate

Alt Text and Social Media

Social media has a great ability to connect us. Without it, I would have never found all the wonderful people in the blindness community on Twitter that have had such a positive impact on my life. Heck, you probably found this post on some social media platform.

The problem for blind people is that social media can seem pretty photo-intensive, leaving blind people to feel like they're missing out. In the last few years, though, major social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have been introducing features allowing people to add alt text to pictures, allowing people sharing content to provide a more inclusive experience.

What is Alt Text?

Simply put, alt text provides a text-based alternative to graphics on the web. Screen readers will read the alt text and identify the item as a graphic when encountered. Additionally, many browsers will display the alt text for a graphic when it's unable to load the graphic. This can happen because of a slow internet connections or being unable to locate the image.

Writing Alt Text

Writing good alt text can be a challenge. In my day job as an accessibility coach, I describe writing alt text as an art rather than a science. While there are a few guiding principles based off accessibility best practices, there's also a lot of wiggle room. The following tips are based off a combination of best practices and my own personal taste:

Writing good alt text can be a challenge and may seem hard at first. Like anything else, though, it gets easier with practice. Over time you will figure out what works best for you.

How do I add alt text on social media?

The folks over at Accessible Social have a guide on how to add alt text on multiple platforms.

Examples

Here are a few examples from We Rate Dogs on Bluesky. They do a great job of describing the images, as well as having a little fun with the descriptions and occasionally including an easter egg in their descriptions. To view the alt text for a skeet, just click the button below the embedded skeet and a modal dialog will open with the alt text. You can hit the escape key or click the close button to close the dialog.

Example 1

This is Chewy. He is a skater boy. She said see you later boy. He was way too good for her. All of her friends, stuck pup their nose. They had a pawblem with his doggy clothes. 12/10

[image or embed]

— WeRateDogs (@weratedogs.com) February 17, 2025 at 10:23 AM

Alt text for first example

a little brown pup in a gray hoodie stands confidently on a skateboard with red and white wheels. he’s smiling wide, presumably because he just landed a sick kickflip.

Example 2

This dog got a little impatient waiting for his pup cup. Decided to make sure everything was going alright in there. 14/10

[image or embed]

— WeRateDogs (@weratedogs.com) April 16, 2025 at 12:19 PM

Alt text for second example

two photos side by side. in the left photo, a dog is leaning out the driver window of a red vehicle toward a drive-thru window. in the right photo the dog has entered the establishment through the window, only his hind end sticking out.

Example 3

This is Finley. He has a very large bump on his noggin. It's where he stores his infinite wisdom. 13/10 would pet to increase my own knowledge

[image or embed]

— WeRateDogs (@weratedogs.com) April 17, 2025 at 1:48 PM

Alt text for third example

a golden retriever pokes his head around a corner in a hallway and looks up at the camera with a stuffed duck toy in his mouth. he has a lump squarely in the middle of the top of his head.

Conclusion

With the advent of alt text support on major social media platforms, it's easier than ever to be more inclusive on those platforms. With just a little extra effort, it's possible to ensure blind people aren't left wondering what's in a picture.

More Resources

Alt Text article from WebAIM
Article from WebAIM discussing the basics of alt text in a wider context.
Justin Yarbrough talks about alt text
A podcast in which I discuss the importance of using alt text on social media during public health and other emergencies as well as other accessibility-related topics.
My Approach to Alt Text
Adrian Roselli breaks down his process for writing alt text.