The world today heavily relies on technology, whether it be for educational purposes, work purposes, entertainment, etc, and what is fascinating is that online you can express yourself, and communicate with family for 
example with relatives across the world, or with your friends after school. But is there any form of connection between who you are online and who you are in person?
Your digital identity can be traced back to you, and depending on what you do online this could be good or bad for you. Whenever you like a post on Instagram, watch a video on YouTube, order something from Amazon, or even just visit a website, you are leaving behind a ‘Digital Footprint’, which shows what you do online. Many think that you are anonymous on the internet, which is why they may do things that they would never do in person. The internet is not anonymous, and your digital footprint can affect your personal image/brand, because things can be traced back to you so before you do/post something think about what you are trying to achieve or do and remember that people may know it’s you.
A good w
ay to think about it is “Would you want your employer or teacher or mother to see this”? If the answer is no, you should consider not doing/posting it. Employers sometimes research you online before they even consider you for an interview, so its a good idea to not be posting things like that. On the flip side, if you have some sort of a portfolio displaying your work, or award you have received it could look good on you too.
Some strategies to keeping your digital footprint safe are the following:
- Changing your security settings. Most social media networks have security settings that are meant to keep your identity safe. Make sure you set them up so that only people you want to see you posts/activity are the ones that can see it. For example setting your account to private on Instagram.
- As already mentioned, before you post something think about who will see it, who it affects, and why you are posting it.
- Deleting unwanted posts or accounts. If you have made a post that you think is inappropriate or just want it removed, delete it. The post will likely never be truly invisible, but it will be significantly less visible on popular search engines. Deleting old and unused accounts is also a good idea.
The idea of ‘digital permanence’ is the idea that once something is on the internet 
that is about you, it can never be completely removed. As with the posts it can be hidden, however if someone has screenshotted a post or something similar it still may be out there after its deleted. If you are unhappy about being tagged in a post you can easily untag yourself, or ask the network to take down the post. We should care about digital permanence because your reputation online matters, for example when applying for a university or applying for a job it is likely that 
you will be researched and the information that is found will affect your acceptance chances.
In conclusion, think about what you are doing online, because the internet is not anonymous, and whatever you is not hidden. What you do can affect you in real life with consequences or rewards, depending on how you use the internet, so why not use it well.