Mary Madden, a Data & Society affiliate, is a veteran researcher, writer, and nationally-recognized expert on privacy and technology, trends in social media use, and the impact of digital media on teens and parents. She is currently a senior research advisor for Common Sense Media and an adjunct professor in the Communication, Culture, and Technology program at Georgetown University. Prior to her role at Georgetown, she was a senior fellow at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and a lead researcher on the By/With/For Youth Initiative, an R&D project that helped the public media sector develop innovative strategies to better engage young audiences. Earlier, at Data & Society, Mary directed an initiative to explore the effects of data-centric systems on Americans’ health and well-being and led several studies examining the intersection of privacy and digital inequality. As a senior researcher for the Pew Research Center’s Internet, Science & Technology team in Washington, DC and an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, she helped to build and amplify the field of youth-centered media research and privacy and technology studies.
Mary Madden
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All Work
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report
Data & SocietyThis report identifies three major digital barriers to economic justice arising from the pandemic. Read moreApril 2021 -
blog post
PointsMary Madden and Erin McAweeney argue that we need to move past the "addiction" framing when it comes to digital well-being. Read on PointsSeptember 2019 -
op-ed
The New York TimesIn this op-ed for The New York Times, Data & Society Research Lead Mary Madden argues that there is no "one size fits all" solution to privacy concerns in the digital age. "When those who influence policy and technology de... Read on The New York TimesApril 2019 -
blog post
MIT Technology ReviewData & Society Health + Data Lead Mary Madden considers what patient privacy means in the current age of technology. "In the era of data-driven medicine, systems for handling data need to avoid anything that feels like man... Read on MIT Technology ReviewOctober 2018 -
blog post
PointsIncreasingly, technology's impact on infrastructure is becoming a health concern. In this Points piece, Data & Society Researchers Mikaela Pitcan, Alex Rosenblat, Mary Madden, and Kadija Ferryman tease out why this intersec... Read on PointsSeptember 2018 -
WashingTechD&S researcher Mary Madden shared her findings from her recent report "Privacy, Security and Digital Inequality." “Not only do Americans with lower levels of income and education have fewer technology resources, but they a... Read on WashingTechOctober 2017
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report
Data & Society“Privacy, Security, and Digital Inequality” by Mary Madden is the first in-depth analysis of the privacy and security experiences of low-socioeconomic-status populations in the United States. Read moreSeptember 2017 -
Longform
American Press InstituteD&S researcher Mary Madden was interviewed by the American Press Institute about Madden's recent Knight Foundation-supported report, "How Youth Navigate the News Landscape." However, one of my favorite quotes was from a pa... Read on American Press InstituteApril 2017 -
Academic Article
Washington University Law ReviewD&S researcher Mary Madden, Michele Gilman, D&S affiliate Karen Levy, and D&S fellow Alice Marwick examine how poor Americans are impacted by privacy violations and discuss how to protect digital privacy for the vul... Read on Washington University Law ReviewMarch 2017 -
report
Knight FoundationD&S researchers Mary Madden, Amanda Lenhart, and Claire Fontaine explore youth news consumption behavior on mobile and social media. It reveals how young people are adapting to a changing media environment to access news they trust Read moreMarch 2017