A Digital Footprint isn’t something most people would think about in their spare time. But in fact, it is something that can damage your whole future in a whole. A Digital Footprint basically sums up who you are, what you do and what you stand for, and sometimes, with just a click of a button, your whole life could crumble down.
So I Googled myself to make sure that my life is still intact, and what I found was pretty surprising. I use the internet every day of my life. I post things, comment things, like, you name it, every day of my life. You would think that a person like me who uses the internet this much would have a large background history on Google, but you thought wrong. All that there was were a bunch of random links, that weren’t even related to me. The only things that I could find that referenced me were my Facebook, and my EduBlog including all of my posts. 
The rest, a bunch of people with the same name as me I didn’t even know existed. Photos of me? Not a chance, the only photo that I could remember using is the header of my EduBlog. Pretty shocking I know.
If you’re wondering how a Digital Footprint could affect your entire life, here’s all you need to know. Imagine you’re about to apply for college or university.
There’s a 110% chance that they’re going to search you up on Google to make sure that accepting you is the right choice. Imagine they find photos from parties, tweets and posts that are harmful, comments that are bashful, that are all from you. 
Then, you won’t get accepted into any university, so, you apply for a job. But, little do you know that your manger at your job will do the same. Before hiring you they will look at every single post, comment, photo from you that exists online, and before you know it, you won’t get hired. I bet you didn’t think that a post could have this much build up. 
If you don’t want these things to happen to you, it’s not too late to clean up your track record.
- You can T.H.I.N.K, is it True, is it Helpful, is it Inspirational, is it Necessary, and is it Kind. If what you’re going to post doesn’t fall into any of these categories, think again. Sure this might seem childish, but one day, these things will come back to bite you. The main point in this is it Necessary. If it’s useless and there’s really no point to posting it, it could really help you out. Another point is, is it Rude? Because if it is, there is absolutely no point in posting that. It is just mean and harsh and could hurt the person you’re targeting, and could hurt you. No matter what website you use people can see anything and everything. So THINK.
- Another strategy you can use is just be a smart person and think before you post. Before you post there is only one thing you need to think about. If you posted this, would your family be ok to see it. If not, then simply don’t post it. Some things just aren’t meant to be shared and if you think that your single post, comment or tweet could effect someone, then just click that cancel button. Just think, that your post…it could effect you more than the other person.
What I just want you to know is that the internet is a fun place, but it can be very dangerous at the same time. Posting something is just easy as a few clicks but deleting it will take time. Sure there’s a delete button at the top but is it really gone forever? Screenshots, data bases will all gather up all the evidence that you posted something mean and harsh which could ruin your whole career. So before you post anything, please think about it, no matter how funny you think it is or how it was just a “mistake”, it will always come back to haunt you. 