Lee Rainie

Lee Rainie joined the Imagining the Digital Future Center as director in 2023 after 24 years of directing Pew Research Center’s efforts to study the internet and technology.

At the Pew Internet Project, his team produced more than 850 reports about the social, political and economic impact of four technology revolutions: the internet/broadband revolution, the mobile connectivity revolution, the social media revolution, and the artificial intelligence revolution.

His Project was described by the American Sociological Association as the “most authoritative source of reliable data on the use and impact of the internet and mobile connectivity,” and the ASA awarded him its prize for “excellence in the reporting on social issues award.” His work has been covered by network and cable news and every major global news publication.

Lee is co-author of “Networked: The New Social Operating System” and five books about the future of the internet, based on Project surveys.

Prior to his work at Pew, Rainie was managing editor of the newsweekly magazine U.S. News & World Report and he previously covered American politics for several publications.