a snap of the beard is worth two of the bush #facecardfriday #beforedark #notadickpic

mind wandering. I enjoy writing #imagedescriptions when capacity allows. but I enjoy writing. a lot of people don’t. but that doesn’t change the fact that generic image descriptions are often as useful as not having one at all, to the people who would benefit (which honestly I think is everyone)

there’s a reason you only get 300 chars a post but #alttext fields allow 1000s of chars. it’s because the folks who use image descriptions to enjoy socials rely on the details we share for clarity. the caption I wrote for this selfie is one of my better ones due to its detail. it required effort

unfortunately image descriptions are used to signal performative solidarity, often without fully understanding why they’re necessary and how they should be conceived. like, I don’t always describe my basic stats, cuz they’re in my pinned. but if someone hasn’t seen it, how do they know who “Oak” is?

today I described a self as such: “Oak—a Black, medium-light-brown-skinned, masc-of-center, 30-something freelance whore, creator, writer, and educator—takes a break from grading papers at a coffee shop to capture themself reflecting the light of the winter afternoon sun…

there is a window behind Oak featuring a decal of an ice cream cone with red and green scoops on top. the sky outside the window is blue and cloudless