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

[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.

[dragomana@frikiverse.zone]

@Yehuda I read ALT text for several reasons:
-Gives me the context of memes and other pics I don't understand just by looking at them.
-A certain image won't load (app issues, server issues, connection issues).
-I'm curious to see how other people describe images. I genuinely enjoy it sometimes as someone interested in writing, and it gives me ideas for my own ALT descriptions.

[defractal@infosec.exchange]

@Yehuda #AltText is the curb cuts of online discourse: it’s necessary for a Disabled minority, but the beneficiaries are predominantly others who could get by without it. It improves the place for everyone.

[cassandra@ottawa.place]

@pvagner Thank you!

[steveclough@metalhead.club]

@Yehuda Sometimes. Maybe not often.

I agree that it is really important for everyone.

[thomas@pleroma.tcweb.org]

@Yehuda
Where is option : i never read alt-text

[nilajones@zeroes.ca]

@Epic_Null @gub @Yehuda

Well that's the problem

Mastodon culture acknowledges that someone some people need alt text due to disability

But it does not acknowledge that some people cannot see, hear, or read alt text, due to other disabilities

I think the point @gub is making is that by putting jokes or extra info in the alt text, people are excluding some of the disabled folks here