My Digital Footprint
To begin with, a digital footprint is your information that exists online that is connected through online data. This consists of your search history, criminal activity, and things related to your social media account.
When I search myself up online, I find an article written about the port moody soccer club. This shows up because I won the referee of the year through the club. The article basically talks about many different people who won various awards. Near the end, the article shows my name at the end next to the referee of the year.
A digital footprint can have a huge impact on your future, for the good or bad. Firstly, if you have a good digital footprint, meaning you don’t show up like some bad person, you will have a way better chance of getting into university versus someone who has a bad digital print. When the employer or university searches up your name and finds that you have done multiple volunteering jobs, they will want you. The internet shows that you are hardworking and involved in the community. If they search your name up and find that your Instagram is inappropriate and has lots of swearing, they are not likely going to like that. If you are trying to find a job, the first thing the employer is going to do is find out about your digital footprint. You better make sure you have a good one! It is so important to be aware of your digital footprint! If you don’t know what kind of data you have out on the internet, you could be in a feeling of stress as you don’t know what the employer will find. Make sure you know what type of profile you have on the internet. Be careful on Instagram!
Now you may be wondering, how can you keep your digital footprint safe? Here are three strategies on how to keep it safe.
You can watch what you search for. Is it appropriate? Is this search offensive to certain groups of people? Can this search be perceived in a way that can affect my future?
Think before you post on social media. Is this cyberbullying? Am I oversharing personal info? Is it a post related to illegal activity? Really, think before you post.
What is digital permanence you may ask? Well, Digital permanence is where all the data is stored, such as the servers. Anything you search, post, or comment on, is all saved on a database. To explain this to kids of a younger age, I would let them know that clearing your search history does nothing. The search is still stored somewhere. It can always be viewed by someone. It is important to know what digital permanence is. If you truly think that taking a picture on snapchat disappears forever after opened, you are completely wrong. The company keeps all the data and keeps it saved on their servers. So think before sending something stupid like a nude photo or you doing drugs.