A fascinating and information-rich read, this feature from Kait Sanchez at The Verge provides readers a glimpse of what it is like to browse Instagram and other visually dense social media platforms as a blind or visually impaired person. Raising a variety of critical issues, the article goes into depth about the topic and links to a number of valuable resources that help showcase and illustrate the issues raised. The article emphasizes the ongoing need for descriptive alt-text that provides blind readers with a "vision" of a graphic or picture but also dives into the difficulty of creating truly representative alt-text. In the article's elegant summary: "Writing an image description for an esoteric meme can feel like explaining internet culture to your grandparents: you suddenly don't know how to describe what exactly made you laugh." Embedded in the article text are links to examples of poorly done alt-text, resources for creating better alt-text on platforms such as TikTok, and further readings about these vital issues. This piece provides food for thought and helps raise awareness for audiences in a variety of settings - classrooms, libraries, or at home.
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