Social Media Accessibility
Content you post to social media needs to meet the same accessibility requirements as any other website content. How to make your social media content accessible varies based on the platform and whether you are adding your content from a desktop of mobile device.
General Social Media Guidelines
- The use of ‘all caps’ styling does make it harder to read for our audience with accessibility needs. Instead, use the following camel case example as guidance:
- From #ABITLIKETHIS to #ABitLikeThis
- Use emojis sparingly. A screen reader does read emojis aloud and having many emojis would affect the user experience in a negative way.
Facebook and Twitter
- Images: Images must include descriptive alt text, including a transcript of any text that may display in the image.
- Video audio: All spoken audio must be captioned and either embedded in the video or uploaded via an SRT file.
- Video text: Videos that contain words on screen that are NOT spoken out loud (ex: animations), must appear in the post description so that a screen reader can pick them up.
- Images: Images must include descriptive alt text, including a transcript of any text that may display in the image.
- Video audio: All spoken audio must be captioned and embedded in the video.
- Video text: Videos that contain words on screen that are NOT spoken out loud (ex: animations), must appear in the post description so that a screen reader can pick them up.
Adding ALT text to images
| Support and Instructions | Publishing a New Post | Editing a Published Post | Managing Content Through a 3rd Party Integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supported in Facebook | Desktop Only | Desktop OR Mobile | Not Supported |
| Facebook Instructions | When uploading an image file, click “edit” and enter alt text in the field on the left (desktop only, mobile editing not supported). | Can add by clicking the 3 dots in the top right of the post and going to “change alt-text” (desktop) or “edit alt-text” (mobile) | Not supported by Sprout Social |
| Supported in Instagram | Desktop Only | Mobile Only | Not Supported |
| Instagram Instructions | When uploading a photo, scroll all the way down to the bottom to find “Advanced settings.” Then click on “Write alt text” (mobile only, desktop editing not supported). | Click the three dots in the top right of the post and click “Edit.” Click “Edit Alt Text” in the lower right corner of the photo (mobile only, desktop editing not supported). | Not supported by Sprout Social |
| Supported in Twitter | Desktop OR Mobile | Not Supported | Supported through Sprout Social |
| Twitter Instructions | On desktop, click “edit” in the top right corner of the photo and navigate to “ALT.” On mobile, click “+ALT” in the bottom right of the photo. | Cannot retroactively edit a tweet. | Supported by Sprout Social |
Adding .srt captions to videos
| Support and Instructions | Publishing a New Post | Editing a Published Post | Managing Content Through a 3rd Party Integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop Only | Desktop Only | Not Supported | |
| Facebook Instructions | When uploading a video file, navigate to “Subtitles and Captions (CC),” select the correct language and upload an .srt file OR choose auto-caption and manually correct (desktop only, mobile editing not supported). | Click the 3 dots in the top right of the post and go to “edit post.” Navigate to “Subtitles and Captions (CC),” select the correct language and upload an .srt file OR choose auto-caption and manually correct (desktop only, mobile editing not supported). | Not supported by Sprout Social |
| Supported in Instagram | Not Supported | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Instagram Instructions | No current .srt support | No current .srt support | Not supported by Sprout Social |
| Supported in Twitter | Desktop Only | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Twitter Instructions | In “Media Studio” click on the video file and navigate to “Subtitles,” select the correct language and upload an .srt file. | Cannot retroactively edit a tweet | Not supported by Sprout Social |
Color Accessibility
Adherence to the AA level of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines (WCAG) ensures all text with a size less than 18 points (or less than 14 points if bolded) has a contrast ratio of 4.5 to 1 with the text background. This applies to both print and digital design. The color combinations shown below are compliant and approved by the university. Color contrast ratios may be obtained by visiting webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker
To learn more about color accessibility, please review pages 30 and 31 of Georgetown University’s Visual Identity Guidelines.
Additional Resources
- HubSpot – Image Alt Text: What It Is, How to Write It, and Why It Matters to SEO
- American Foundation for the Blind – AFB’s Social Media Accessibility Standards
- LifeHacker – How to Make Your Instagram Posts Accessible to People With Visual Impairments
- Hootsuite – Everything You Need to Know About Inclusive Design for Social Media