Social Media

Many people on social media have disabilities, and some use assistive technology to access content. By following a few simple tips, you can not only make your posts easier for them but also better for everyone!

If you’re looking for information about accessibility on specific social media platforms, check out our pages about Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, and X.

Text

Text is the main part of a lot of social media posts. It’s important to have clear, readable text to benefit all users and ensure assistive technologies like screen readers work properly.

General Formatting

  • Write content left to right.
  • Use punctuation appropriately.
  • Don’t use custom fonts. Some screen readers have a hard time reading them or skip them altogether, and they can also affect the searchability of your account.
  • Don’t use unusual spelling or styles.
    • Example: Don’t write in SpongeBob case, like this: “aGgiE bLuE miNt.” A screen reader will just read it letter by letter, making your content inaccessible.

Close up of a young adult's hand holding a cell phone.

Hashtags

Hashtags should be written in PascalCase, where the first letter of each word is capitalized. This helps screen readers understand and read the words of the hashtag separately instead of combining them into one word. It also helps users decipher words in your hashtags. 

  • Example: instead of #utahstateaggies use #UtahStateAggies

Emojis

Emojis are a fun way to express emotion or change things up from plain text. However, overuse of emojis can be difficult or annoying for social media users who use a screen reader. Keep in mind that a screen reader only reads the description designated for an emoji. Some examples are “grinning face”, “face with tears of joy”, and “smiling face with heart-eyes”. 

Follow these guidelines to make the most of your emoji use while still keeping your content accessible:

  • Don’t Replace Words or Emotions With Emojis. Instead of using an emoji in place of emotions or words, put them at the end of the message or beside the word they are representing. This also helps ensure your emoji is interpreted correctly.
    • Example: “I like my sunglasses 😎!” instead of “I like my 😎!"
  • Don’t Repeat or Overuse Emojis. Emojis are fun in moderation, but when used in excess, they can cause screen reader users to get lost in your message. Listening to 10 “kissing face with closed eyes” in a row can be time-consuming for those trying to get to the point of your message.
  • Put Any Important Information Before Emojis. If there is something important you are trying to communicate to those viewing your social media content, make sure to put it before any emojis.
  • Don’t Use Emojis as Bullet Points. Using emojis as bullet points is confusing for a screen reader user because the emoji description interrupts the main body of the points. As stated above, put important information in front of emojis. 
  • Stick to Emojis That Are Well Known. Using popular emojis helps those who may have a disability. It also helps ensure that the meaning of your emoji is understood by individuals from various cultures.

Links

Use descriptive links so users know where they are going. For example, instead of saying “click here,” say “USU Event Schedule.” You can find more examples of descriptive links on our Link Accessibility page. 

Images

Images are a big part of social media, but it’s important to follow accessibility guidelines when using them. 

Alt Text

Alternative text (alt text) is a concise description that communicates the content and function of an image. Screen readers use this text to share that information with users who cannot see the image. See Alt Text Guidelines for tips on writing effective descriptions. If there is too much information to be conveyed in the alt text, consider putting it in the post caption instead.

When writing alt text for social media, make sure to avoid:

  • Emojis
  • Links
  • Hashtags
  • Additional symbols

Color and Contrast

High contrast makes text easier to read, especially for people with low vision or colorblindness. When using color in a social media post:

  • Use high-contrast color combinations between text and background.
    Two side-by-side panels compare examples of good and bad color contrast. On the left, white text labeled “GOOD CONTRAST” is easy to read on a dark blue background, while black text labeled “BAD CONTRAST” is difficult to read against the same dark background. On the right, white text labeled “BAD CONTRAST” is hard to read on a light pink background, while black text labeled “GOOD CONTRAST” is easy to read.
  • Don’t rely on color alone to convey information. For example, instead of saying “Press the green button,” include a label such as “Press the Start button” so the message is clear even if someone can’t distinguish the color.
Learn more and explore tools to check color contrast on our Color and Accessibility page.

ASCII Art

ASCII art uses text characters and symbols to create images, but screen readers read these one character at a time, making them difficult or impossible to understand. If you use ASCII art, provide a clear description in the post or share it as an image with descriptive alt text.

GIFs

Avoid using GIFs with flashing, strobing, or rapidly changing content, as they can trigger seizures, migraines, or other adverse reactions.

Videos

It’s important to always add captions to videos. Captions not only help people with disabilities, but many other users rely on them too. Many social media platforms provide autocaptioning, but they aren’t always accurate, so it’s important to review and correct them. See Caption Quality Standards for guidance on creating accurate captions.

Tips for social media captions:

  • Use high contrast, readable fonts.
  • Make sure that captions aren’t covered by other platform content.
  • Place captions where they do not block faces, text, or key content.
  • Make sure the captions are on screen as close to the speaker’s timing as possible.
  • Keep captions short enough to be read comfortably before they disappear. Aim for no more than two lines per caption when possible.
  • Use proper punctuation and capitalization.
Note: While we try to remain up to date on new accessibility changes, given the frequent updates made to social media platforms, these steps may vary slightly.

Additional Resources