Enhancing Social Media Accessibility for Concert Lovers

Written by: AJ Bloom

Accessibility for Your Concert Content

One of the most exciting parts of my job as a concert photographer is sharing the content I've created on social media after a show. It's a pretty amazing feeling to post the work I'm proud of for everyone to experience. Key word: everyone. Anyone who uses social media should be able to access the content that is posted, which is why the accessibility aspects of what I post are so important.

If you're familiar with Instagram, you know there are two major ways to create content: you can post photographs or videos (reels). When making these posts, there are steps you can take to increase the accessibility of your content to make them enjoyable for all viewers. These steps include adding alt text to images and captions to videos.

What are alt text and captions?

Alt text is a short description of an image that helps users with visual impairments know what is happening in the image. For more information on what alt text is and examples of how to write it, check out this article from Harvard University: Write helpful Alt Text to describe images.

Captions are words overlaid on videos that help users who are deaf or hard of hearing understand what is being said or any other sounds occurring. For more information on what captions are and the difference between open and closed captioning, check out this article from Dallas College: Closed Captions For Video.

Why should I add alt text and captions?

Adding accessibility features to your content allows it to be experienced by a wider audience. According to the CDC, adults with disabilities make up 28.7% of the U.S. population. That means more than 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. have some form of disability, and your actions can have an impact. Disabled individuals deserve to access content and enjoy social media just as much as nondisabled individuals.

Adding Alt Text

To add alt text to your images, start by creating a post as you normally would. After you add a caption to your post, scroll all the way down, click Advanced Settings, then Write Alt Text. A screen should pop up to allow you to write descriptions for each of the images you're posting. If you're posting one photo, only that photo will show up. If you're posting a carousel, all the photos will show up with individual places to add alt text.

For example, if I were to post this image with the caption “I Prevail at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater,” I would add the alt text “Low angle of Eric standing on a platform surrounded by fog.” Because the caption mentions I Prevail, I don't need to include that Eric is a vocalist for the band in the alt text. I also don't need to include that it is a low-angle "photograph" of Eric, because the viewer knows it’s a photograph, and “low angle” describes the viewpoint. Depending on how important the lighting is, I could have included that it was pink; however, I typically only do this if there are two very similar images in a carousel. For the sake of this image individually, the pink lighting was not important to the overall idea.

Once you've added your alt text, simply hit Done and return to posting as normal. You won’t be able to see the text after this, but users who utilize screen readers will thank you!

Adding Captions

To add captions to your video, start by creating a reel as you normally would. Then, click Edit Video, Text, and add your text. Next, adjust your text to fit at the bottom of the screen and click Done. Lastly, use the yellow sliders to set the duration of time that the text will appear on screen. Repeat this process if there are several sentences, phrases, or sounds in your video to prevent text blocks from becoming too long.

In this example, I used a video of Halestorm performing their song “Apocalyptic.” The captions match the lyrics that Lzzy Hale is singing. I only added text for the first few lyrics for demonstration purposes, but you would repeat the process throughout the video so that all the words are captioned.

Wrapping It Up

Though I've focused on Instagram here, adding these features across social media platforms looks pretty similar. If you're having a difficult time figuring it out, a quick Google search never hurts! Additionally, you may gain a new follower or two from your dedication. I look forward to seeing a more accessible music-loving community!