Digital Footprint

When people first hear about me, they think I’m someone who always posts on Instagram or Snapchat and who always shares their personal in formation.

To be honest; I am nothing like that.

I don’t really post on any social media platforms, in fact, I only have two and I don’t really use them. I only post for birthdays and when I’m with my friends, and that’s all way too private for me to share with the public.

What I saw didn’t really surprise me, but it might surprise others.

How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities?
Give at least two examples.

When I first heard about this project, my thoughts were to first search up my name on Google. What came up? Well, the top three things it showed me were a Sonoma Booth photo company, a photo booth, and a telephone booth.

Of course, I laughed at the fact that I’m a telephone booth on Google, but then I realized that my social media platforms might be different or the same. So I decided to take a look. I looked up booth – oops, I mean both – my social media accounts and nothing came up.

I was glad that I didn’t have a digital footprint, but at the same time, I realized how that would be a problem for me in the future with trying to find a job and when trying to get into a good university.

How would I get a job without any history? How would I get into a university? I mean, without any digital history, how could  I get a job? Well, I can always create a social media in the future that is specifically for friends, family and jobs. Without evidence about who I am or what I do, I know my possibilities of having a job in the future would be pretty hard for me.

Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe.

Well, for one, I wouldn’t post any personal photos of myself or my friends on social media. Perhaps a group selfie would be okay, but not a photo of a big party or any photos of any of us doing anything too radical.

I also wouldn’t share my location or where I live or anything like that. For example, if I were going to a park with my friends or family, I wouldn’t share that with anyone, because that’s me spending personal time with my friends and family.

Finally, I would be very careful on who I follow on social media, because sometimes people aren’t really who they say they are. If I need to search up something or someone, I would also be careful because you can’t trust everything you see and hear on the internet. People often post and share what they think and what their opinion is on the matter, but it isn’t nessasarily true.

What information did you learn that you would pass on to other students? How would you go about telling them? 

I would definitely tell other students that social media and the internet aren’t things to be trusted wholeheartedly, but I would also say that it’s always a good tool to use.

If you’re trying to find a job, or just bored out of your mind, your digital footprint shows. Maybe not to you, but it does to others around you, or even people you don’t know. Your digital footprint is your personal information, and that is to be kept with you. Don’t abuse it, be careful and useful with it. Whether you’re learning something new or doing a school project, your digital footprint is a reflection on yourself.

Also, if you look yourself up and find out that you’re a telephone booth, you might want to fix that.

Photo Citations:

Bredava, Anna. “Social Media .” 15 Awesome Examples Of Social Media Marketing , 16 Sept. 2020, cdn.searchenginejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/outstanding-social-media-campaigns-5f60d3e4bb13b.png.   (Google Images)

McCoy, Julia. “Social Media .” 7 New Social Media Marketing Opportunities On Facebook & More, 8 Feb. 2021, cdn.searchenginejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/social-media-opportunities-601bc9d146e00-1280×720.png.   (Google Images)

“Photo Booth.” Photomatica: Photo Booth Rentals In Sonoma , 2020, images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c61df06aadd342e7eedaec2/1574692866755-PMYQMWPPGY4VW73VU87L/Photo-matica+Photo+Booth+on+TI.png.   (Google Images)

“SFU: Simon Fraser University .” Simon Fraser University Logos, www.sfu.ca/content/sfu/communicators-toolkit/guides/brand-guide/logos/jcr:content/main_content/image.img.640.medium.png/1558555514694.png.   (Google Images)

“Social Media .” Shopify App Store , cdn.shopify.com/app-store/listing_images/0dce682fb3602fe48c948f046351cae8/icon/CM+lh970lu8CEAE=.png.   (Google Images)

“Telephone Booths.” The Guardian , 15 Mar. 2021, i.guim.co.uk/img/media/cb333c18b9f399d3fdd4bb17acbfa4fa59bf5159/0_244_5119_3070/master/5119.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6ddc6fd2dc45285b4cb0d4c64f9e1f88.              (Google Images)

“UBC: University of British Columbia .” UBC Logos, brand.ubc.ca/files/2018/09/Logos_1_1FullLogoDownload_768px.jpg.   (Google Images)