I’m Lauren, and I’m from the Social Machines group in the Media Lab. What drew me to the Media Lab is the same thing that draws me to the tech and social change space.

Prior to coming here, I had been working at a startup. I loved the challenge of the work I was doing, but hated the capitalism of it. Why were we building a recommended system for products? I strived to work on projects that not only were technically challenging, but that also brought happiness to peoples’ lives. Perhaps someone seeing the perfect dress recommended to them would bring a brief smile, but it wasn’t the level I was hoping for.

Fast forward a few months later, and Deb Roy had reached out to interview me to join his lab in the Media Lab. I was thrilled to hear about the real-world impacts that his lab’s work was focused on.

As I’m thinking about what I want to do beyond the master’s. I’m wanting to do something even more human-touch than I currently am. Watching my grandmother grow old, virtually alone as her husband had died many years prior, and watching her go through phases of depression and loneliness in her last few years, I’m hoping to eventually work in the loneliness in elderly area. But I want to do so in a way that does not have unintended negative consequences. Looking forward to exploring this dream through out this class.