I've been thinking a lot about the #Fediverse ALT issue.
Some people are annoyed by posts without #Alttext, & others get reminded¹ to add it.
The core question is: How can we improve #accessibility?
Proposal:
☑️ Add a user filter to hide media posts without #AltTag
☑️ Reduced engagement on hidden posts would encourage adding #Alt text
☑️ People who need accessibility wouldn't have to encounter unlabeled media
If this gets traction, I'll open a #Mastodon GitHub issue.
¹ mastodon.social/@madeindex/113…
MadeInDex 📰🌎 (@madeindex@mastodon.social)
Some people are simply UNABLE¹ to write #Alt text of their images for various reasons. Here are some solutions on the #Fediverse: 1. Ask the community for help using #ALT4ME (needs more support) 2.MadeInDex 📰🌎 (Mastodon)
rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •My userContent.css makes a thick red dashed border around "non-alted" images, but mine is just a workaround.
The idea of the filter is far better, IMHO.
MadeInDex 📰🌎
in reply to rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua • • •@GustavinoBevilacqua Haha that is such a good argument to change something about it!
I will add something along the lines of: "Users are are having to rely on their own workarounds" and link to your reply :)
rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •Oh, I also hide the boosts made by myself!
Since I'm a "serial booster", this keeps my home TL shorter.
MadeInDex 📰🌎
in reply to rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua • • •André Polykanine
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •MadeInDex 📰🌎
in reply to André Polykanine • • •Gillinger
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •nineofseven
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •MadeInDex 📰🌎
in reply to nineofseven • • •I also like it:
mastodon.social/@madeindex/113…
MadeInDex 📰🌎 (@madeindex@mastodon.social)
MadeInDex 📰🌎 (Mastodon)MostlyTato
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •Interesting ideas.
The Moshidon mobile client red flags images without alt text if you set it to do that.
Russell
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •I'm skeptical that "reduced" engagement would be a compelling argument or difference.
Is "engagement" the thing that most people think of when posting? It's a very capitalistic way of thinking of communicating with fellow humans.
I'm also reminded of Goodhart's Law: a measure that becomes a target ceases to be a good measure.
A different social network tried to encourage folks to write engaging replies and said they instead saw an increase in filler text (spaces, dots, "this").
MadeInDex 📰🌎
in reply to Russell • • •@zimzat You have a point, however I do think people want engagement, as you post to get a reply or reaction of any kind right?
I did not get that part about the spaces dots and this though! Can you please explain? :)
Russell
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •engadget.com/twitter-ends-quot…
> The use of Quote Tweets increased, but 45 percent of them included single-word affirmations and 70 percent had less than 25 characters,
I, personally, don't want massive engagement. I dislike the idea of parasocial relationships. But that's just me and I grew up avoiding attention and preferring quieter, personable, connections. Others may want more than I do, but past a certain point too popular inherently becomes antithetical to the Fediverse ethos.
Retweets are back to normal as Twitter ends its quote tweet experiment
Karissa Bell (Engadget)Cassian [main]
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •Do you use a screen reader? If not, have you consulted with those who do?
The reason I ask is because, most ideas like this that I see come from people who don't use screen readers and haven't consulted with people who do.
One thing about alt text is, when there is an image that doesn't need alt text, it is better that the image doesn't have alt text, so that the screen reader doesn't have to read it out. E.g. "Check out this photo of my new puppy! He's a brown poodle and he's 14 weeks old." Alt text: Photo. 14-week-old brown poodle puppy.
(I haven't used a screen reader, this is just something I read in a guide about how to write alt text.)
MadeInDex 📰🌎
in reply to Cassian [main] • • •Yeah trying to get some feedback before I post a ticket! 🙂
Although I guess if someone doesn't like it, they can simply not opt-in to the feature right?
Somebody said they would like it in their home but not their favorites list: dragonscave.space/@menelion/11…
André Polykanine
2026-04-10 15:51:43
CalmPresence
in reply to MadeInDex 📰🌎 • • •MadeInDex 📰🌎
in reply to CalmPresence • • •MadeInDex 📰🌎
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