This site was created by Pseudo!

What is this for?

This rentry is hopefully going to explain the various ways of giving trigger warnings online, and try to explain why some methods are better than others!
It is unfortunately going to be very Discord-focused (and centred around any sites with markdown tools in general), because I don't use any other social media. I can't really comment on how to do it on sites I don't use. /lh

I'm not going to include any triggering content! I'll just use phrases like "example" or "example text" for the various trigger warnings.
I'm going to sort these in terms of which groups these methods tend to harm, which means some may have overlap or repeats.
The most prevalent issue with certain censor methods is that they can be inaccessible to people with triggers, screenreaders, or dyslexic users. These are the groups this rentry will focus on. I apologise if I left someone out, I'm not omniscient and these are just what I'm aware of. /lh

Disclaimer!

Although I'm not going to give actual triggering topics as examples, some sections of this rentry may be inaccessible to screenreaders or to those with dyslexia for demonstration purposes. I'm also going to be featuring the markdown for censoring on Discord, so the | symbol is probably going to be read out loud often. I apologise in advance and would recommend not reading further if that is not something you want to experience.
Another thing to note is that although I do have triggers, I do not have dyslexia nor do I use a screenreader. However, the information given here is sourced from many discussions I have had about this subject with dyslexic people and screenreader users. I don't intend to speak over these groups and I apologise if something said here comes across that way. My intention is to be accessible, not to speak over others. It's always best to ask individual people what works best for them.

Accessibility Concerns

Screenreader Users

One of the most common issues with different censoring methods is that they become inaccessible to screenreader users. Although sometimes these methods may be better for people with triggers, they do this at the expense of those who need screenreaders. As a result, these censoring methods are often unintentionally ableist.

  • Swapping out certain characters in the TW with numbers or symbols [e.g. "TW Subject" becoming "TW 5ubj3ct"]
    • This is inaccessible to screenreaders because it will be read out exactly by a screenreader (e.g. "TW five ubj three ct". This can make it very difficult or confusing to determine what the content warning is actually for, giving them the opposite effect.
  • Omitting certain characters in the TW with numbers or symbols [e.g. "TW Subject" becoming "TW sxbjxct" or "TW s/b//ct (u, j, e)"]
    • This is inaccessible to screenreaders for similar reasons to the above: it will be read out exactly and be difficult or confusing to determine what the warning is actually for.
  • Censoring the subject along with the triggering part [e.g. "TW ||Subject|| ||Triggering Content||"]
    • This is inaccessible to screenreaders because it requires relistening to the same message two or three times. In the above example, the first listen would give "TW spoiler spoiler" for a lot of screenreaders. This requires listening to it a second time in order to determine what the warning is actually for ("TW subject spoiler"), and a third time if the content is something they are comfortable reading/hearing ("TW subject triggering content"). This is a huge problem, as it means something that is relatively "simple" for a non-screenreader user becomes very awkward for a screenreader user. This could also lead to someone who uses a screenreader falling behind in chat and not being able to keep up with the topic, especially if the chat is quicker.
  • Censoring a triggering word in multiple one-word bursts [e.g. "TW Subject ||triggering word|| example sentence ||triggering word|| example sentence"]
    • This is inaccessible to screenreaders for a similar reason to the above: It can require multiple listen-throughs and gives a broken sentence to the user. A message like "this is an example, this sentence is an example. i am giving an example of bad censoring" would become "this is an spoiler, this sentence is an spoiler. i am giving a bad spoiler of bad censoring", which is needlessly complicated and fiddly both to write and to read.

Dyslexic Users

Another common issue seen with different censoring methods is that they become inaccessible to people with dyslexia. These often have overlap with inaccessiblity to screenreader users. As a result, these censoring methods are often unintentionally ableist.

  • Swapping out certain characters in the TW with numbers or symbols [e.g. "TW Subject" becoming "TW 5ubj3ct"]
    • This is inaccessible to dyslexic users because it can be very difficult or confusing to determine what the content warning is actually for, giving them the opposite effect.
  • Omitting certain characters in the TW with numbers or symbols [e.g. "TW Subject" becoming "TW sxbjxct" or "TW s/b//ct (u, j, e)"]
    • This is inaccessible to dyslexic users for similar reasons to the above: it can be difficult or confusing to determine what the warning is actually for.

Users with Triggers

Some methods of disclosing TWs is not accessible to those with triggers, although due to the purpose of TWs/CWs this is less common.

  • Not spoilering the triggering part where possible [e.g. "TW subject, triggering content"]
    • Should be self-explanatory, but not spoilering the message if it is a supported feature is not accessible to those with triggers. It is entirely possible for someone to not fully process the warning, skip over it, or read part of your message on accident. Having it behind a spoiler tag usually means the person has read the warning and feels able to read whatever is under it.
  • Censoring without tagging [e.g. ||triggering content||]
    • This is inaccessible to those with triggers because it does not disclose what the spoiler is for. This can mean anyone with any form of trigger cannot read the message in case it happens to be about their trigger. Although in some cases, an untagged spoiler can be determined from context, it is not always clear. Similarly, many factors can contribute to being less able to determine something from context (such as neurodivergency, tiredness, already being triggered, or numerous other reasons).
  • Not tagging or censoring at all [e.g. "triggering content"]
    • Should be self-explanatory, but not giving a trigger warning or content warning at all is not accessible and could cause someone to be triggered by your message. I'd always recommend tagging your triggering content, even if nobody you're talking to has triggers, as it can serve as a "warning" for people for what they're about to read.

What can I use instead?

In my opinion, the best way to censor a message is this:

TW/CW: Subject ||example sentence goes here||

I would consider this the best way of giving a trigger warning as it is the most accessible in contrast to other methods. This is the method I use and based on what I've seen and heard from dyslexic/screenreader users, this is the best way of censoring a message.
Despite this, the "subject" part being uncensored could cause issues if the word on its own is triggering. However, the alternative of censoring it is inaccessible to screenreaders. There is unfortunately no perfect method to guarantee everyone is satisfied without knowing the individual needs of everyone in the space you're posting to.
Generally, I think unless you can guarantee everyone who reads your message doesn't need or use a screenreader, it's much better to go with the highlighted option as it is more accessible. If you can guarantee it (e.g. the message is in a friends-only space and you know none of them need one), the "subject" part can be censored.

Edit

Pub: 08 Apr 2023 00:06 UTC

Edit: 05 Feb 2025 21:07 UTC

Views: 133