Jessica Bennett writes on culture, technology, society and health for NEWSWEEK and Newsweek.com. In 2007, she authored an International cover story ("Alternate Universe") on Second Life, the burgeoning online virtual world where residents are making millions of real-world dollars and engaging socially in ways never before possible. She has written on America's obsession with beauty and the culture of the Internet, and was the recipient of a 2007 Front Page Award for her role in Newsweek.com's three-part series on American consumer debt, "United We Owe."

Prior to her current assignment, Bennett was a junior reporter with Newsweek International and has continuously written for Newsweek.com. She has worked as an investigative researcher for New York political reporter Wayne Barrett, contributing to the 2006 publication of "Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11." She also spent time as a reporting fellow at The Boston Globe, where she wrote on crime and local politics. Originally from Seattle, Bennett holds a B.S. in journalism from Boston University and a certificate in  cultural anthropology from the University of Buenos Aires.