Personally I think alt-text is valuable for everyone, not for just people with visual impairments.

[androcat@toot.cat]

@Yehuda Alt text very often clarifies the thing I was missing about an in-joke or meme.

[gokushrm@mastodon.social]

@Yehuda I don't even have talkback or speech recognition services in my phone ️

[lilywaylolz@tech.lgbt]

I can't read this post... alr lemme get the alt text... wait, I still can't read... *puts on glasses* Ohhh... Wait am I visually impaired or not?

[gub@framapiaf.org]

@Yehuda
Mastodon is a bad exemple of alt text : it mixes description, legend and alternative text.
Alternative text must be used -as it has been designed for- as an alternative for people who need it, not like a creative extra text field for jokes or exclusives informations. The role of alt text is precisely to reduce the understanding gap between peoples, not to expand it.
1/2

[gub@framapiaf.org]

@Yehuda
With Mastodon, if you want all people have an information, write it in the message, please.
If you want to do two-step jokes, use CW or reply to your own message.
2/2

[colinstu@birdbutt.com]

@Yehuda more promising than my old poll results.

This was from years ago though. And tiny but close (to me) sample size. Hopefully folk’s stance has improved since.

Colin (@colinstu@birdbutt.com)

Attached: 1 image A little saddened by the poll results. Alt text isn't only for those with vision problems! I sometimes provide more info or context to stuff in the pic, as it's kinda awkward to try to describe 4 pics in the main body of post. Also if I am describing what is seen, I try to do so in a way that would make sense if one couldn't see, so maybe it’s a lil awkward to read sometimes. But anyway, try reading folks’ alt text / desc more! Uncover a whole new world.

Birdbutt (birdbutt.com)

[riggbeck@mastodon.social]

@Yehuda

The primary impact of an image is visual. It delivers and unpacks in an instant a universe of cultural connotations, a fist of meaning. So much so that all I can describe in alt-text is my impression of the image. I try to describe it as neutrally as possible but it's only ever going be a subjective impression with the details foregrounded that are most important to me. Being autistic doesn't help, because I'm faced with a plethora of competing choices.

So I rarely look at alt-text.

[suearcher@toot.wales]

@Yehuda I ticked "not impaired and often read", although I don't know that I'd say I often read it - more that I read it when it helps - if there's a joke I'm not getting, or something I fell I'm not spotting. So even if I don't often read it deliberately, when I do, it's massively helpful.

[ef@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@Yehuda alt-text is important and can be brilliant. Some, often auto-generated, is incorrect though.

[project1enigma@chaos.social]

@Yehuda Surprising results up to now (more than 3:1 in favor of reading alt text for seeing people, closer to 1:1 for visually impaired people)

[jkanev@fediscience.org]

@Yehuda Extremely often there are additional message there. Or explanations. Like, it says this is a photo of pop group xyz who I've never heard of. Or explains a pun. Often people add an extra joke.

[helenisenough@masto.ai]

@erikcats @bigtuffal @Yehuda

Just so. Which part of this picture do I want the onlooker to focus on.

Plus some alt text is hilarious. Not mine but I do like hunting for Easter eggs

[helenisenough@masto.ai]

@mwt @Yehuda

Yes, alt text for an image with writing is a blessing for my predbyopia

[w_b@mastodon.world]

@Yehuda

Sometimes it is easier to read the transcription in the alt-text than the text in the image. Also I can copy the alt-text in a foreign language and get a machine translation.

[o_o@mastodon.nu]

@Yehuda mostly i use it when a) I don’t get the joke and hope there’s an explanation, b) I don’t get the text because it’s in a different language but alt text can be translated.

[erikcats@dice.camp]

@Helenisenough @bigtuffal @Yehuda i will at times be the easter Bunny

[pvagner@fedi.ml]

@Cassandra @equalitysiren @Yehuda Yes, screen readers actually do read the poll choices.

Additionally for screen reader users saying I'm a screen reader user And I skip reading alt text is very rare if not inpossible as screen readers are setup to present the images with alt text and skip images without it by default.

[nieuemma@mastodon.de]

@Yehuda I use Mosjhidon, and images don't load by default, I only see alt text. If a post has an image with no alt text, the post is hidden.

[epic_null@infosec.exchange]

@gub @Yehuda I can see where there may be a cultural issue here, but I suspect a lot of that issue comes from Mastodon being one of a small number of places where alt text is actually both setable and readable to anyone without specialized tooling.

[murdoccc@infosec.exchange]

@Yehuda I'm torn on this issue. Accessibility is important, but companies that use our content to train their algorithms can go to hell on the express way. If this poll ends with only 2% of users in need of alt text, it might change my behavior.