How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities?

Everything you comment, everything you make public and everything you decide to share with the world are things added to your digital footprint. A digital footprint can go two ways, either it can lead you into a career and a happy life, or it can ruin your chance of ever being successful. That one rude comment you decide to post can be found later and used against you. That one horrible project you post online in grade 8 could cost you a spot at your dream school. Everything you do and say on the internet will either be tracked down by the company hiring you or the school you applied for. I guaranty that every single person walking into a job interview is trying to make the best impression they can. They probably dress nicely, fix their vocabulary and will most likely change the way they act to impress whoever is hiring them. Everyone who walks into an interview, though they try their best to make a proper impression in person they may not realize that what interviewers look at most is what kind of digital impression they are setting. No matter how well you did in your interview it all comes down to what content you are putting out there on the internet. If you were to put something bad on the web, not only will your interviewer think poorly of you, but so will the rest of the world. However, if you were to put amazing work out there and show yourself as someone who is well behaved and understands the consequences of a bad digital footprint, then maybe that will push your chances of getting into an amazing school. Digital footprints don’t always have to affect your future in a bad way, they can also make you a better candidate for the position you applied for. Company’s in this day and age look for someone who is not only digitally appropriate but someone who is smart with their decisions.

Strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe!

Keeping a good digital footprint can be very simple if you are careful with what you do. There are so many things you can do to prevent your digital footprint from corrupting, however, once it’s corrupted it does get harder. To make it easy, the key is to pay attention to what you are putting out there online, such as what you post. Whether you are posting a comment or a photo it is extremely important to look over what you are posting. Examine it, is it appropriate or does it expose your life in ways that are negative. If that’s the case, then why ruin your reputation. Commenting on posts and stating your opinion to the public can be very helpful, of course, if what your saying will be useful. There is nothing bad about sharing your ideas on twitter or on blogs for example. This can be super important as it projects your insights and will make a positive outcome. Sharing your thoughts online can sometimes harm others, maybe you weren’t careful and posted something hurtful. Those comments can never be taken back. It won’t matter if you take the comment down, once it’s seen it’s seen. This now means you would have to, unfortunately, face your consequences. Though that is the case it does not mean your footprint will be ruined forever. There always ways to convert your digital footprint from adverse to being encouraging. This can be done by creating a positive environment. To make it better, post comments that are making others feel good and try stating opinions that will make a beneficial change.

Learning about your digital footprint and passing it on to others!

It is extremely important to learn everything you possibly can about your digital footprint. Why you may ask? This is because the more knowledge you have on your footprint the more aware you will become on what you need to either correct it or to make sure it stays appropriate. Learning about your digital footprint is easy as one click. Searching up yourself on the internet is a great way to see what is out there, that way you know what not to do in the future. It is also important to spread awareness of the value of your digital footprint. The more people who are educated on this subject the better the internet will be. It won’t be filled with negative and bad comments, but it will be a better, safer source to use. When passing on knowledge to others and sharing your digital footprints it is key to teach both negative and positive aspects. For example, if you were to tell someone about the dangers of a digital footprint they could react poorly. They may never want to use the internet again and that is not the outcome that was intended. The right thing to do would be to tell them that yes, it is dangerous, however, there are ways to be safe on the internet. This would be a great time to let them know how to be safe. Sharing your knowledge is important, it is not fair to let others be clueless and let them suffer especially if the subject is harmful. In this case, it is harmful towards their future and everyone should be taught this, whether at school, or online. One way or another your digital footprint matters and it is now the time we start to realize our actions and their consequences.

Work cited:

Google images labeled for reuse – Pixabay (Footprints) Posted Nov. 28, 2013

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Google Images labeled for reuse – Picpedia.org – Free Creative Commons Licensed Highway Sign Change Image

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