Navigating Alt Text Challenges on Mastodon:

A Balanced Perspective

Scrolling through Mastodon on a #Caturday, you encounter numerous cat images. While a few images include descriptive Alt Text, most lack this essential accessibility feature. Faced with this, what should you do? Here are several approaches, each with its own merits and drawbacks:

1. **Retoot with Hashtags AltForMe**:
Retooting with hashtags such as #AltForMe invites others to provide the needed descriptions. This approach leverages the community's goodwill and increases awareness about the importance of Alt Text. However, it relies on the altruism of others, which may not always yield timely or consistent results.

2. **Reply to the Tooter and Scold Them**:
By replying to the original poster and asking them to add Alt Text, you directly address the issue at its source. This method promotes education and accountability. However, it can be time consuming, perceived as confrontational, potentially discouraging positive responses, or creating conflict.

3. **Find a Friend to Describe the Image**:
Asking a friend to describe the image ensures you get a reliable and detailed description. This personal approach fosters social interaction and understanding. However, it can be inconvenient for both parties, especially if your friend is not immediately available.

4. **Sigh and Move On to the Next Cat Image**:
Accepting the lack of Alt Text and moving on is the path of least resistance. While it avoids conflict and inconvenience, it perpetuates the accessibility issue and leaves you without the context of the image, diminishing your enjoyment and engagement.

5. **Use an AI to Describe the Image**:
Sending the image to an AI for description offers a quick and often adequate solution. While AI-generated descriptions might not be perfectly accurate, they provide a broad understanding of the image's content. However, this approach raises questions about the long-term implications of relying on technology for accessibility.

### The Future of Computer Vision and Alt Text

Considering the potential advancements in computer vision, two critical questions arise:

1. **Will Computer Vision Ever Approach the Accuracy of a Friend? **
Technological advancements suggest that computer vision will continue to improve, eventually reaching or surpassing a level of accuracy comparable to human descriptions. However, while AI can process and interpret visual data rapidly, it may struggle with nuances, context, and emotional subtleties that humans effortlessly provide.

2. **If AI-generated Alt Text Becomes Prevalent, Will It Harm or Benefit Humanity? **
The widespread adoption of AI-generated Alt Text could bring significant benefits, such as making the internet more accessible at scale and reducing the burden on content creators. However, it might also lead to complacency, where people no longer see the need to add personalized Alt Text, potentially diminishing the richness and accuracy of descriptions. Moreover, over-reliance on technology could erode human skills in creating empathetic and contextually rich descriptions, impacting the quality of communication, and understanding.

### Conclusion

Navigating the challenges of Alt Text on platforms like Mastodon requires a balanced approach. While leveraging community support, direct engagement, and technology each have their benefits, they also present limitations. The future of computer vision holds promise but also necessitates careful consideration of its broader implications. Striking a balance between utilizing AI advancements and maintaining human involvement will be crucial in fostering an accessible and inclusive digital environment.