Julie Albright

Dr. Julie Albright is a Digital Sociologist, Author, and Lecturer at the University of Southern California. Her work began with looking at the growing world of online dating; it has evolved to focus on the growing intersection of technology, behavior, and society. She was the Co-Principal Investigator for the Behavioral Component of a $121 million Smart Grid Demonstration Project (focused on energy and promoting sustainability behaviors) funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, and most recently co-won a $15 million NSF grant. She sits on the Board of Infrastructure Masons, a professional organization of IT and tech professionals. In film, she Associate Produced the 2007 documentary Made Over in America, on transformation, image, and beauty culture. Her book on the impacts of digital technologies on society - Left to Their Own Devices: How Digital Natives Are Reshaping the American Dream is a Bloomberg Top 30 Book of the Year. She appears in the documentary film inspired by the book -- The Cost of Convenience - (a David Donnelly film) to be released in 2022. Dr. Albright is a sought after keynote speaker for her insights on technology and its social impacts, appearing as an expert on the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, Bloomberg TV, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, NPR Radio, and many others. Her next book focuses on our growing reliance on digital connectivity -- co-authored by Mr. Dean Nelson (responsible for the digital infrastructure at PayPal/eBay, Uber, and others).