“Not Only Annoying but Dangerous”: devising an ecology of protections for photosensitive social media users

Photosensitivity among social media and internet users is an underappreciated risk factor for real physiological harm which can be actively or passively caused by designer and developer choices. Flashing graphics caused by GIFs, video, or even interface animations can trigger nausea, dizziness, migraines, and even seizures. Although there are some guidelines for protections for photosensitive users in W3C's WCAG, these guidelines are often not met by developers, and are insufficient for robust user protection. In this multi-pronged exploratory research project, we work with photosensitive users, design students, and graphics experts to imagine a complete ecosystem of protections which layer vulnerable users at the community, platform, system, and hardware levels. In this paper, we argue for the urgency of reforms in device and internet infrastructure, development practices, design norms, and community behaviors. We then propose an ecosystem of protections which more holistically shield photosensitive users from ambient, accidental, and malicious exposure to flashing graphics.