Could this be another step towards making the service more accessible to hearing-impaired users? Instagram is finally launching automatic captions on its Stories. For the moment the feature is only available in English.
Instagram has already been offering subtitles on IGTV, but now even Stories will be able to benefit from this useful feature. Users of the social network can now enjoy automatic caption generation, but only in English. Other languages should be offered later, but no date has been communicated yet.
According to The Verge, Instagram decided to launch this option to make the format more inclusive and efficient. Automatic captions allow hearing-impaired users to better enjoy videos with sound. This feature is also convenient for many users who watch videos without sound or for people who are not totally comfortable with the English language.
Since the captioning function is not yet perfect and given the numerous possible accents that it may face, users will be able to modify the generated text to correct the errors afterwards. They will also be able to modify the appearance by choosing the font style and colour, but without being able to highlight the text.
More and more platforms have enhanced their functionality to allow for automatic captioning. TikTok has been one of the forerunners among social networks for boosting accessibility for the hearing impaired, driven by an engaged community. Recently, Twitter rolled out efforts to improve the automatic generation of captions for the launch of its new Spaces tool. – AFP Relaxnews
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