Accessible Social Media

Using plain language in your social media content can help engage more different audiences, including people with cognitive disabilities and people who may feel less comfortable with written English. Here are some tips:

• Keep it simple: Use plain language in your written posts and avoid jargon or overly technical terms. The simpler your language, the easier it is for everyone to understand. Break up long, complex sentences into shorter ones.
• Use correct sentence case: Use sentence case (capitalize only the first letter of each sentence) instead of all caps. All-caps text can be harder to read.
• Spell out acronyms: Always spell out acronyms the first time, such as “direct message (DM),” to ensure clarity for all users.

The links and URLs you incorporate into your social media content can also be made more accessible, through using strategies like these:

• Shorten links: Use URL shorteners like bit.ly to condense long URLs.
• Provide context: Always describe what the link leads to. For example, instead of just inserting a link, say “Learn more about accessibility: [INSERT LINK].” Phrases like “Click Here” are not descriptive enough for screen reader users. Instead, use actionable text that explains the link’s purpose.
• Give context: Consider adding text such as [AUDIO] or [PIC] to indicate what kind of resource the link leads to.
• Test your links: Make sure they lead to accessible websites and resources. Ensure that these pages are navigable with a keyboard or screen reader.
• Use CamelCase: Capitalize the first letter of each word in a URL to improve readability.
• Instagram specific considerations: Do not use links in Instagram captions as they are not clickable. In Instagram Stories, the link icon should be given a descriptive and informative label as described above.

The following considerations can make your social media hashtags more accessible for all users:

• CamelCase: Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag to improve readability, like #BestFriendsForever instead of #bestfriendsforever. This also makes it easier for screen readers to pronounce the hashtag properly.
• Limit hashtags: Only a few hashtags and place them at the end of your post to avoid overwhelming your audience and distracting them from the main message.

These tips can help you incorporate emoji in your social media posts in a way that’s both engaging and accessible:

• Use sparingly: Emojis can add fun and personality to your posts, but too many can be distracting. Limit their use to just a few per post. Position emojis at the end of your message to keep the focus on the content. 🎉🎉🎉 Let the fun begin 🎉🎉🎉 will read as: Party Popper, Party Popper, Party Popper Let the fun begin Party Popper, Party Popper, Party Popper
• Know the vocalization: When in doubt visit emojipedia.com to check how an emoji will be voiced. The unicode name is there and will tell you how it will be vocalized. 🎉”Party Popper” or 😭“Loudly Crying Face”
• Context matters: Emojis should not be the sole way to convey information. Always use accompanying text to clarify the meaning. Remember that emojis can have different meanings in different cultures.
• Consider screen readers and emoji descriptions: Emojis have detailed text descriptions that can be long and repetitive. For example, 🙌🏽 is read as “Hands with medium skin tone raised in celebration,” which can disrupt the flow for some users. Be mindful of how these descriptions are presented.
• Avoid text emoticons: Symbols like “:D” or ¯_(ツ)_/¯ can be hard for screen readers to interpret and may confuse some users.
• Stay away from ASCII or Wordle art: These types of images or text are unreadable for screen readers and may not be accessible.

There are several strategies you can use to make your photo and graphic content accessible, including:

• Use alt text for images: Always add descriptive alt text to your images, graphics, and GIFs. This text helps screen reader users understand the content of the image. Keep it simple and brief, focusing on what’s most important (see Resources section for more information). All of the major social media platforms offer the option to embed alt text for static content. The space to add alt text varies depending on the platform but can be found by looking for image options or edits.
• Use image descriptions for images: Longer and more detailed than alt text, image descriptions are added in the copy of content to enhance context of images for all readers, including those who do not use screen readers.
• Use text mindfully in graphics: Use minimal text in graphics. Ensure that the text you do use is legible (at least 16-point font) and accompanied by an alternative representation in the body of the post, comments, etc. Avoid using text in images whenever possible, as it can’t be resized, read by screen readers, or translated; if used, include all text in the image’s alt text.
• Ensure color contrast: Use a contrast checker (see Resources section) to ensure sufficient color contrast between text and background. Aim for a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for large scale text and non-text objects such as icons. This is particularly important for users with low vision or color blindness.
• Share accessible documents: On LinkedIn and Facebook, documents can be shared. All documents should be uploaded in their most accessible format (refer to WCAG standards in the Resources section to learn more about document accessibility).

You can ensure that more audiences can engage with your video and audio content through the following tips:

• Captions: Always include captions for videos to ensure accessibility for d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing users. And remember that many other people benefit from captions, too!
  • For platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, upload captions using an SRT file.
  • On Instagram and TikTok, use the platform’s auto-captioning tool and review captions for accuracy.
• ASL interpretation: ASL interpretation can be added to videos or embedded in the video in post-production. This is particularly important when communicating directly with the Deaf community (e.g., promoting ASL-interpreted performances).
• Audio descriptions: When necessary, add audio descriptions. These describe visual elements of the video for users who are blind or have low vision.
• Transcripts: Offer transcripts for videos, especially when captions are not available or for longer videos that need additional context. Offer transcripts for audio only content.
• GIFs: If using GIFs, ensure they don’t flash more than three times per second. Add alt text to describe GIF content, especially on platforms like X that support alt text for GIFs.
• Warnings: If using a video with strobe lights or that touches on sensitive topics, consider providing a warning.
• Platform-specific considerations:
  • The preferred method for LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and YouTube captions and audio descriptions is uploading an SRT file with each video.
  • TikTok and Instagram do not give the option to upload an SRT file, so you can:
    • Add subtitles to your videos in another platform before uploading.
    • Use auto-captioning available within the platform. All auto-captions should be reviewed and edited for accuracy.

Finally, these general accessibility best practices can help you with your social media content, as well as all your web and online features:

• Test and get feedback: Regularly test your content using accessibility checkers and screen readers to identify barriers or issues. When using new platforms, technologies, or trying new ideas, consider consulting with user/experts to get contextual feedback.
• Consider a range of disabilities: Social media accessibility does not only apply to screen reader users. Consider the needs of users with cognitive disabilities, low vision, or motor disabilities when creating your content.
• Familiarize yourself with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards: Understanding and applying WCAG standards ensures that your content is designed to be inclusive for all users, helping you meet legal requirements (if they apply to your organization) and provide a better user experience.