Arvind Satyanarayan
@arvind.bsky.social
Asst Professing at MIT CSAIL. Data visualization, ML interpretability, accessibility, cognitively convivial information.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
This research from @arvind.bsky.social's lab is right down my alley, in terms of exploring the medium of data visualization, and what happens between the lines:
"Visualization Vibes: The Socio-Indexical Function of Visualization Design"
vis.csail.mit.edu/pubs/quantif...
"Visualization Vibes: The Socio-Indexical Function of Visualization Design"
vis.csail.mit.edu/pubs/quantif...
November 9, 2025 at 12:12 PM
This research from @arvind.bsky.social's lab is right down my alley, in terms of exploring the medium of data visualization, and what happens between the lines:
"Visualization Vibes: The Socio-Indexical Function of Visualization Design"
vis.csail.mit.edu/pubs/quantif...
"Visualization Vibes: The Socio-Indexical Function of Visualization Design"
vis.csail.mit.edu/pubs/quantif...
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
The #ieeevis 2025 OPCs, working under the direction of the VIS Steering Committee, has just released 52 anonymized peer reviews for 16 accepted papers to be published at VIS 2025. We hope each year will add to this repository. OSF link here: osf.io/s9j5b/ (download the spreadsheet directly)
OSF
osf.io
October 30, 2025 at 6:31 PM
The #ieeevis 2025 OPCs, working under the direction of the VIS Steering Committee, has just released 52 anonymized peer reviews for 16 accepted papers to be published at VIS 2025. We hope each year will add to this repository. OSF link here: osf.io/s9j5b/ (download the spreadsheet directly)
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Charts and diagrams use visual structure to convey meaning. For example, spacing and alignment groups data, spatial proximity links labels to elements. But this visual structure is typically invisible to screen readers.
Introducing Benthic, new research at #ASSETS2025
vis.mit.edu/pubs/benthic/
Introducing Benthic, new research at #ASSETS2025
vis.mit.edu/pubs/benthic/
Benthic: Perceptually Congruent Structures for Accessible Charts and Diagrams | MIT Visualization Group
Graphical representations—such as charts and diagrams—have a visual structure that communicates the relationship between visual elements. For instance, we might consider two elements to be connected w...
vis.mit.edu
October 20, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Charts and diagrams use visual structure to convey meaning. For example, spacing and alignment groups data, spatial proximity links labels to elements. But this visual structure is typically invisible to screen readers.
Introducing Benthic, new research at #ASSETS2025
vis.mit.edu/pubs/benthic/
Introducing Benthic, new research at #ASSETS2025
vis.mit.edu/pubs/benthic/
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Speaking as a tenured faculty member of a small, regional public university: Columbia, Brown, Penn, and Harvard are fucking over me, my colleagues and co-workers, and my school.
July 30, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Speaking as a tenured faculty member of a small, regional public university: Columbia, Brown, Penn, and Harvard are fucking over me, my colleagues and co-workers, and my school.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Sadly, I think we've been teaching digital/media literacy all wrong. Instead of focusing on teaching people how to be skeptical and spot manipulation, we should focus on teaching people how these systems work so they can effectively use them to share their messages and promote their values.
June 27, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Sadly, I think we've been teaching digital/media literacy all wrong. Instead of focusing on teaching people how to be skeptical and spot manipulation, we should focus on teaching people how these systems work so they can effectively use them to share their messages and promote their values.
Woo hoo!!! Welcome to MIT, I’m so excited to have you as a colleague, Zana!!
Thrilled to share that I’ve successfully defended my PhD dissertation and I will be joining MIT as an Assistant Professor starting Fall 2026, with a shared appointment between Sloan and EECS!
I will be recruiting 1-2 PhD students this upcoming cycle. Consider applying to MIT EECS!
I will be recruiting 1-2 PhD students this upcoming cycle. Consider applying to MIT EECS!
May 31, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Woo hoo!!! Welcome to MIT, I’m so excited to have you as a colleague, Zana!!
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Thrilled to share that I’ve successfully defended my PhD dissertation and I will be joining MIT as an Assistant Professor starting Fall 2026, with a shared appointment between Sloan and EECS!
I will be recruiting 1-2 PhD students this upcoming cycle. Consider applying to MIT EECS!
I will be recruiting 1-2 PhD students this upcoming cycle. Consider applying to MIT EECS!
May 31, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Thrilled to share that I’ve successfully defended my PhD dissertation and I will be joining MIT as an Assistant Professor starting Fall 2026, with a shared appointment between Sloan and EECS!
I will be recruiting 1-2 PhD students this upcoming cycle. Consider applying to MIT EECS!
I will be recruiting 1-2 PhD students this upcoming cycle. Consider applying to MIT EECS!
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Someone today described this moment as a horrific traffic accident, w/ everyone standing back, watching, not knowing what to do, and waiting for someone else to rush in and start helping. But we can't all keep standing back. Time is ticking. We need to act, to try, to keep trying.
May 29, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Someone today described this moment as a horrific traffic accident, w/ everyone standing back, watching, not knowing what to do, and waiting for someone else to rush in and start helping. But we can't all keep standing back. Time is ticking. We need to act, to try, to keep trying.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
"the freedom to speak becomes meaningless when disconnected from the possibility of being heard".
This is a heartbreaking piece from @alondra.bsky.social on the regression of scientific progress and why she's resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress.
time.com/7285045/resi...
This is a heartbreaking piece from @alondra.bsky.social on the regression of scientific progress and why she's resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Why I’m Resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress
I cannot participate in systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.
time.com
May 13, 2025 at 9:38 PM
"the freedom to speak becomes meaningless when disconnected from the possibility of being heard".
This is a heartbreaking piece from @alondra.bsky.social on the regression of scientific progress and why she's resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress.
time.com/7285045/resi...
This is a heartbreaking piece from @alondra.bsky.social on the regression of scientific progress and why she's resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress.
time.com/7285045/resi...
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
For those having a hard time following all the changes to NSF by the Trump administration, here's a wrapup of the past week's momentous events--and what they mean for the agency. www.science.org/content/arti...
Trump officials take steps toward a radically different NSF
Efforts to shrink staff, budget, and focus have alarmed members of Congress
www.science.org
May 13, 2025 at 9:40 PM
For those having a hard time following all the changes to NSF by the Trump administration, here's a wrapup of the past week's momentous events--and what they mean for the agency. www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
And here's more on Alondra Nelson's bombshell announcement today: www.science.org/content/arti...
NSF board member resigns in protest of Trump policies at agency
Alondra Nelson fingers DOGE in taking an unprecedented step
www.science.org
May 13, 2025 at 9:41 PM
And here's more on Alondra Nelson's bombshell announcement today: www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Things are going from bad to worse at NSF; www.science.org/content/arti...
Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions
Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund
www.science.org
May 8, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Things are going from bad to worse at NSF; www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Some of these innovations were directly funded. Others build upon basic research funding by the US government. If you haven’t seen Engelbart’s 1969 “mother of all demos” (where he introduces the mouse, word processor, collab editing, video conf, etc.), watch it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ8Z...
The Mother of All Demos
YouTube video by Stanford
www.youtube.com
May 4, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Some of these innovations were directly funded. Others build upon basic research funding by the US government. If you haven’t seen Engelbart’s 1969 “mother of all demos” (where he introduces the mouse, word processor, collab editing, video conf, etc.), watch it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ8Z...
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
I teach “Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction” and we spend a significant portion of that class exploring how US gov funding (ARPA, DARPA and NSF) helps lay the foundations of the internet, most of the personal computing paradigm, search engines, virtual worlds, wearable tech, AI, etc.
May 4, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I teach “Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction” and we spend a significant portion of that class exploring how US gov funding (ARPA, DARPA and NSF) helps lay the foundations of the internet, most of the personal computing paradigm, search engines, virtual worlds, wearable tech, AI, etc.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Thinking about devastating cuts to NSF: US gov-funded science has been the engine upon which most of the tech wealth was generated. But the oligarchs (currently hoarding much of that $) think it’s their own brilliance & not the accident of standing close to the scientific engine that made them rich.
May 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Thinking about devastating cuts to NSF: US gov-funded science has been the engine upon which most of the tech wealth was generated. But the oligarchs (currently hoarding much of that $) think it’s their own brilliance & not the accident of standing close to the scientific engine that made them rich.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
The mods of r/ChangeMyView shared the sub was the subject of a study to test the persuasiveness of LLMs & that they didn't consent. There’s a lot that went wrong, so here’s a 🧵 unpacking it, along with some ideas for how to do research with online communities ethically. tinyurl.com/59tpt988
From the changemyview community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the changemyview community
tinyurl.com
April 26, 2025 at 10:02 PM
The mods of r/ChangeMyView shared the sub was the subject of a study to test the persuasiveness of LLMs & that they didn't consent. There’s a lot that went wrong, so here’s a 🧵 unpacking it, along with some ideas for how to do research with online communities ethically. tinyurl.com/59tpt988
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
13. And anyone who has been part of this grand humanist tradition is someone who will not lie down and cower before these sad bullies.
I don't know what happens to science in the US over the next four years, but I have no doubt as to where the arc of history bends.
We aren't going anywhere.
fin
I don't know what happens to science in the US over the next four years, but I have no doubt as to where the arc of history bends.
We aren't going anywhere.
fin
March 19, 2025 at 7:40 PM
13. And anyone who has been part of this grand humanist tradition is someone who will not lie down and cower before these sad bullies.
I don't know what happens to science in the US over the next four years, but I have no doubt as to where the arc of history bends.
We aren't going anywhere.
fin
I don't know what happens to science in the US over the next four years, but I have no doubt as to where the arc of history bends.
We aren't going anywhere.
fin
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
12. Like art, music, philosophy, and literature, science is literally part of humanity's heritage.
My colleagues and I have had the amazing opportunity to be part of something vastly larger than ourselves, with meaning that transcends any state, regime, or generation.
They can't take that away.
My colleagues and I have had the amazing opportunity to be part of something vastly larger than ourselves, with meaning that transcends any state, regime, or generation.
They can't take that away.
March 19, 2025 at 7:38 PM
12. Like art, music, philosophy, and literature, science is literally part of humanity's heritage.
My colleagues and I have had the amazing opportunity to be part of something vastly larger than ourselves, with meaning that transcends any state, regime, or generation.
They can't take that away.
My colleagues and I have had the amazing opportunity to be part of something vastly larger than ourselves, with meaning that transcends any state, regime, or generation.
They can't take that away.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
11. Attacks like Vought describes may make cowards and grifters of his ilk want to stay home, but they make us all the more determined to show up and fight.
Science is bigger than Vought, bigger than Rufo, bigger than Musk, bigger than Trump, bigger than the United States of America.
Science is bigger than Vought, bigger than Rufo, bigger than Musk, bigger than Trump, bigger than the United States of America.
March 19, 2025 at 7:36 PM
11. Attacks like Vought describes may make cowards and grifters of his ilk want to stay home, but they make us all the more determined to show up and fight.
Science is bigger than Vought, bigger than Rufo, bigger than Musk, bigger than Trump, bigger than the United States of America.
Science is bigger than Vought, bigger than Rufo, bigger than Musk, bigger than Trump, bigger than the United States of America.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
10. This is the reality of being an academic in the United States today.
But Vought and Rufo are missing something.
We aren't cowards.
And we know we are not the enemies of the American people either, much as these ideologues might like to claim that.
But Vought and Rufo are missing something.
We aren't cowards.
And we know we are not the enemies of the American people either, much as these ideologues might like to claim that.
March 19, 2025 at 7:34 PM
10. This is the reality of being an academic in the United States today.
But Vought and Rufo are missing something.
We aren't cowards.
And we know we are not the enemies of the American people either, much as these ideologues might like to claim that.
But Vought and Rufo are missing something.
We aren't cowards.
And we know we are not the enemies of the American people either, much as these ideologues might like to claim that.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
5. But right now my job doesn't feel like the best job in the world.
Targeted attacks on university funding have put every US institution into a severe crisis. As of now, there is no way we will be able to continue doing the biomedical research, the conversation science, etc. that we always have.
March 19, 2025 at 7:32 PM
5. But right now my job doesn't feel like the best job in the world.
Targeted attacks on university funding have put every US institution into a severe crisis. As of now, there is no way we will be able to continue doing the biomedical research, the conversation science, etc. that we always have.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
🧪 The NSF director is lying to you.
Let’s fact check 7 claims from yesterday’s letter to the community, while pointing out 3 critical omissions. 🧵
Let’s fact check 7 claims from yesterday’s letter to the community, while pointing out 3 critical omissions. 🧵
March 12, 2025 at 12:51 PM
🧪 The NSF director is lying to you.
Let’s fact check 7 claims from yesterday’s letter to the community, while pointing out 3 critical omissions. 🧵
Let’s fact check 7 claims from yesterday’s letter to the community, while pointing out 3 critical omissions. 🧵
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
We are experiencing an assault on science unparalleled by anything I’ve seen in my life. It’s not one issue or another anymore, the entire institution is under attack by the most powerful individuals in the country.
This Friday, where will you be?
standupforscience2025.org
This Friday, where will you be?
standupforscience2025.org
March 2, 2025 at 4:27 PM
We are experiencing an assault on science unparalleled by anything I’ve seen in my life. It’s not one issue or another anymore, the entire institution is under attack by the most powerful individuals in the country.
This Friday, where will you be?
standupforscience2025.org
This Friday, where will you be?
standupforscience2025.org
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
Once again, the New York Times gives the dataviz community an opportunity to reflect on its purpose.
Can everything be quantified and turned into a chart?
Most important: what are the consequences of a chart?
If words matter, charts matter too.
Can everything be quantified and turned into a chart?
Most important: what are the consequences of a chart?
If words matter, charts matter too.
Of course the NYT sees the "DEI" stuff positively & is neutral on anti-trans discrimination
March 1, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Once again, the New York Times gives the dataviz community an opportunity to reflect on its purpose.
Can everything be quantified and turned into a chart?
Most important: what are the consequences of a chart?
If words matter, charts matter too.
Can everything be quantified and turned into a chart?
Most important: what are the consequences of a chart?
If words matter, charts matter too.
Reposted by Arvind Satyanarayan
I really beg datavis researchers to start engaging with this.
The role of the chart here is to provide a cover of objectivity.
It’s reifying the entire fucking opinion section into a 2d space to lens it some Cartesian legitimacy or something equally dark. So, so gross.
The role of the chart here is to provide a cover of objectivity.
It’s reifying the entire fucking opinion section into a 2d space to lens it some Cartesian legitimacy or something equally dark. So, so gross.
We can quibble about the placement of each item but the original sin here is the very existence of this graph. Why on earth would a news organization rank social issues like they're weapons in an RPG?
Of course the NYT sees the "DEI" stuff positively & is neutral on anti-trans discrimination
March 1, 2025 at 6:15 PM
I really beg datavis researchers to start engaging with this.
The role of the chart here is to provide a cover of objectivity.
It’s reifying the entire fucking opinion section into a 2d space to lens it some Cartesian legitimacy or something equally dark. So, so gross.
The role of the chart here is to provide a cover of objectivity.
It’s reifying the entire fucking opinion section into a 2d space to lens it some Cartesian legitimacy or something equally dark. So, so gross.