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Threads, Meta’s Twitter alternative, is here, carrying some Instagram features in tow but really lacking when it comes to others.
One of these is alternative text (alt text), a crucial tool for accessibility that tech platforms have been integrating for a while. So far, Threads includes “core accessibility features”(opens in a new tab) that Instagram already has — it was built by the same team. This means screen-reader support and AI-generated image descriptions are enabled on the new app. But Threads doesn’t allow users to add their own text to images, and AI doesn’t always do the trick.
Indiana University defines accessibility(opens in a new tab) as “the degree to which a product, device, service, environment, or facility is usable by as many people as possible”. In line with this, alt-text descriptions are meant to provide meaning and explanation to content, concisely explaining what each is offering.
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