Accessibility on Social Media
When putting together content for your social media pages, keeping accessibility in mind ensures that anyone who wants to access your content can do so. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your social media is as widely accessible as possible. Visit GVSU Accessibility to learn about accessibility guidelines on the wider internet.
Utilize Captions on Videos
- Captions on videos are vital for those who are hard of hearing, but they also make your videos more accessible to everyone. Many platforms have auto-caption features that can be manually turned on in settings.
Use Camel Case
- Hashtags are commonly used all over social media. If you are including hashtags in a post, opt for camel case, which means capitalizing each word in the hashtag instead of keeping the whole thing lowercase. It should look #LikeThis, not #likethis.
Using Alt. Text On Images
- ALT Text is a function that provides screen readers with text to read when an image is present on a webpage. The purpose is to describe the image in context, not to provide image credit, a caption, or anything else. This is an available function on most platforms, usually in the settings of your post once you have published it. Use short, descriptive text to explain what actions are taking place, who is doing them, and any other information that is important for the context of the photo. Descriptions should be 1-2 sentences long.
Minimize Use of Graphics
- Graphics do not transition well to screen-readers, because they read as regular images, meaning users miss out on information provided. If graphics must be used, keep them simple and include any vital information in the ALT text.
- Graphics are hard to transition into something that is screen-reader friendly, because they just register as images, unless ALT text has been used. If graphics must be used, keep them simple and include any vital information in the ALT text.
Limit Use of Emojis
- Emojis are a fun and creative way to add a bit of flare to a post. Including too many will muddy up a post on a screen reader, as it will have to read the name of each emoji aloud. Instead, use them sparingly and avoid using more than one in a row.
Visually Accessible Elements
- Avoid posting gifs or videos with excessive flashing or movement, as this is something that some viewers are sensitive to. Make sure to use contrasting colors and large readable text, especially when creating graphics to ensure that all text can be read.
Page last modified October 28, 2026