I'm tired of the #AltTxtMafia here on Mastodon. They super piss me off, and here's why.
The message I get from them is practically VERBATUM.
"I love your meme/message but there is no #Alt-Text so I'm not boosting."
I've had some interesting chats with various followers and I always get lots of comments about this very topic on my monthly updated pinned post(s). What do we want on Mastodon? If we want Mastodon to continue and grow, it needs CONTENT. It needs people to boost and export/import ->
I have pointed out that people are missing the point about alt-text, that the image formats don't natively support it, and that THAT is what people should be doing, MAKING THAT SO. Talk to those committees and get them to work on it.
Because the call for alt-text affects every image posted every single time it's posted. That work has to be done over and over and over again, and the explicit purpose of computers was to eliminate that scutwork. So NO, we the creators of images will NOT be bothered by this crap UNTIL the PNG and JPEG people modify the specifications of .png .jpg until alt-text is TRANSPARENTLY SUPPORTED so that a browser can read the alt-text FROM an image and photoshop/gimp can write the alt-text FOR an image. Then the alt-text is part of the image, as it should have been all along.
@ecsd -- Thank you. I've been getting this response occasionally too. If anyone wants to test it out, all they need to do is go to ANY image media on my feed, copy and paste it into your own NEW posting. Then go in and try to attempt to copy and paste the Alt-Text from the original image. YOU CAN'T. If you're posting from a PC/Mac, many instances can use AI to create the text, but ONLY IF it is brand new. If you post and then try to go back and edit, you can't use the AI. You must hand type it.
What you say about the inability to edit, that's just a missing feature in Mastodon (whatever) code. Work the coders never did.
It kind of sardonically shows how important the "abled" thought the feature is, so the angry "ableist" labels apply there: the code could put the text on a silver platter if it wanted to, but it just doesn't.
There's a later comment about the mechanics of image formats. What I find odd in 2023 is that neither JPG nor PNG directly support alt-text, nor thus do the browsers; and thus neither do the image programs, Gimp and Photoshop. It's not hard to do (I think the bureaucratic overhead is the worst aspect.)
The error is treating the alt-text independently from the image. You need to integrate the "afterthought" into the image itself and then the alt-text is integral to the image, instead of having to chase around a SECOND component of an image for which no uniform provisions have been made.
EXIF payloads can be read to auto-generate alt-text, but it's rare for people to embed the necessary EXIF content (particularly given how much meme content is "liberally borrowed" by means that tend to null-out the EXIF data).
Having now read the Exif description, I would not use Exif for this alt-text purpose. I would introduce it as "fresh". A PNG file is composed of labeled 'chunks' and nothing is said about alt-text; so there, either reuse the tEXt chunk type and formalize a key/value pair like "atxt=foo", or decide that alt-text is Not Optional and define a new chunk type ATXt containing just data, UTF-8 perhaps.
For JPG, something similar, but now the alt-texts may differ. PNG allows 2^32 or 2^31 bytes of text; JPG may more severely limit that.
But do use the extensibility features of either format.
You can create a nonstandard PNG file by inserting your choice of alt-text designator into it, but then nothing "knows" how to render it. That is the point: focusing only on PNG and JPG, the changes have to be implemented in THREE places: in the STANDARDS, in the IMAGE PROCESSORS (gimp, ps), and in the BROWSERS (ff, etc.)
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So, later versions of the standards, and updated code, but having done it once, you're done. The creator of the image saves the alt-text JUST ONCE, and then it is AUTOMATICALLY presented thereever after,
Possibly the Right Way™ to do it, but still really only covers professional content-originators rather than people doing image-captures and resharing what amounts to wholly new files.
It suits anyone who deals with images, unless they don't want to do the extra work. By /definition/, the image contains a place for the text, and all anyone has to do is supply it. The tools make that trivial and obvious to do.
@jeffowski " If we want Mastodon to continue and grow, it needs CONTENT. It needs people to boost and export/import ->"
Then join the community instead of fighting its culture and use #alt-text.
@Malachite -- And that's it too. The content I post is usually from a shittier social media outlet that refreshes and makes things very hard to move across. You cannot copy and paste into the Alt-Text field on the Mastodon for iPhone app, for example. When I'm on the move, I am dumping what I come across onto Mastodon. I then COME BACK after when I have a full keyboard and screen and add the Alt-Text. Go through my timeline. The people not following the culture of Mastodon are the #AltTxtMafia
@Malachite OP uses #AltText a lot, and it seems this thread stems from the frustration of feeling "shamed" when they forget.
@jeffowski I appreciate that you make an effort to be inclusive. Thank you for the many chuckles & LOLs & facepalms!
I've tried using the #Alt4me hashtag when I have difficulties describing an image, but haven't gotten any assistance. That's frustrating for me, because sometimes words are hard :(
@RamenCatholic@Malachite - Stuff that I've boosted, that do not have Alt-Text, I will comment and add it. I practice what I preach.
Just think if the #AltTxtMafia did the same thing.
How do people not get that they are the Mastodon equivalent to the IRL Thoughts and Prayers people, instead of those that are attempting to change the world.
@jeffowski
Is this maybe a problem of the written word?
Someone writes “I love your meme but there is no alt text so I’m not boosting” and you hear “You stupid person, I’m better than you and I must tell you”
However, when I write this sentence, I want to say “I really love this picture, but as I cannot express it by boosting I’ll tell you in a reply.” I also probably hope that the person will add alt text in the future so that their picture will spread further. But without a derogatory notion.
@Muscaria — it’s not a matter of the written word to understand that the goal here is to shame me and others. It is not unreasonable that stepping in and shaming people who are innocently using Mastodon that they return hostility to those doing that shaming.
It is not a matter of the written word that the effect of this is that many people restrict or stop posting due to this bullying. We have diminished activity as on Mastodon as a result of the #AltTxtMafia and their shaming.
@jeffowski
That’s what I meant. You hear shaming when (sometimes? often? most of the time?) there is no shaming intended.
But it’s good to know that this can be people’s reaction to well meaning comments. (There is no sarcasm in this sentence. I really mean it.)
@Muscaria -- And I'm saying that it isn't a matter or interpretation if a significant group of people have interpreted it as shaming. That's why they stop or limit their posting on Mastodon.
@jeffowski
It’s not interpretation if they have interpreted?
Hm.
Anyway. The message I take with me is that it’s maybe better just not to boost and to simply unfollow without any explanation. Or even better: not to follow in the first place. Then everyone can enjoy their own bubble.
Or to try and sense if the account in question might appreciate a question or would feel offended (although I don’t think this can be done).
@Muscaria -- I can't believe that you're going with, "You many not have understood their words" stance. There is no misunderstanding their words here. Again, the #AltTXTMafia has gotten to the point where they ALL WRITE VIRTUALLY THE SAME THING VERBATUM. That isn't an accident.
The shaming isn't an accident.
I've been patient with you, but you're proving to be disgusting defending this shaming. It's not a misinterpretation when they've built a campaign slogan and campaign around it.
@jeffowski Maybe I do because I have used these words in the past and I know I’m not part of a “mafia” or campaign and find that thought very strange. Thanks for being patient until now. It’s a shame you can’t be polite anymore.
@Muscaria -- So now that you know that those words are used to shame people, I keep getting back from you that it is some sort of misinterpretation, when English is my first language and your say English isn't your first language.
I have been very clear about how MANY people have interpreted that statement and you are STILL HERE talking about semantics and not the message received.
The person lacking any self-awareness and politeness is you.
@jeffowski
“So now that you know that those words are used to simply point out a wish or a need, I keep getting back from you that it is some sort of shaming. English isn’t my first language and you say English is your first language - I have been very clear about how I use that statement and you are STILL HERE talking about how YOU interpret it and not the message received.
The person lacking any self-awareness and politeness is you.”
@Muscaria@jeffowski come on stop complaining. You are turning yourself into a meme...
JUST USE ALT TEXT EVERY TIME.
I scrolled your account. You do not do what you're claiming, ie. adding every time alt text afterwards.
-> from other social media. This is the main argument for opening my meme stash to the public. The #AltTxtMafia shames people for not having Alt-Text on memes and many people have told me that they STOP or LIMIT their posting to Mastodon as a result. Now, I do NOT want to say that Alt-Text is bad. I want to be super inclusive and expand the reach of my message to anyone that will tolerate it. But it hurts the growth of Mastodon. Alternatively, there are those that are adding the alt-text for ->
-> the image as a comment. This seems to be the best alternative to being part of the #AltTxtMafia as you're contributing to the solution instead of complaining. And the complaining is such a sign of entitlement (which adds that extra level of rage). Mastodon is not monetized. No one is making money. People who contribute and share content on Mastodon are volunteers giving their time to grow Mastodon. To not boost a message for not having alt-text and meeting your entire qualifications and ->
-> then bitch to the poster that it didn't meet your expectations... What fucking balls. 😡
So to have the audacity to comment that you "love the message but won't boost because there is no Alt-Text," you've proven to be an entitled idiot that is detrimental to Mastodon and hides behind their Holier than Thou attitude protected under the guise of inclusion, versus actually adding the alt-text as a comment and CONTRIBUTING, yes, I will tell them to fuck off. #AltTxtMafia
Ultimately, if they're commenting they're effectively boosting since their followers will see your post as the up-thread of their reply-comment. So, it really makes no sense for them to chastise because the chastising is subverting their claimed "I'm not boosting".
@ferricoxide -- yeah, the algorithm that pushes to the "local timeline" and the "federated timeline" are weighted with that comment, but it usually only matters to newbie users that haven't found anyone to follow yet and who don't have followers. This just makes you more visible to new trolls. So the idea that these comments are actually helpful is dubious.
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