My Digital Footprint

When I first heard the term digital footprint I really had to stop and think about what was being discussed. I had never really thought about the footprint that I was leaving in the digital world, but then I got curious about what my footprint said about me. In Internet for Education we have been hearing a lot about our digital footprints lately. There has been discussion about not only the negative effects, but also the positive effects that your digital footprint leaves. After doing more reading and exploring on what a digital footprint actually is, the importance of the impression that I am leaving became that much more important to me in so many ways!

Wikipedia defines a digital footprint as “a trail left by interactions in a digital environment; including the use of TV, mobile phone, the internet and other devices and sensors. Digital footprints provide data on what has been performed in the digital environment; and are used in behavioral targeting, personalization, targeted marketing, digital reputation, and other social media or social graphing services. In social media, a digital footprint is the size of a person's "online presence" measured by the number of individuals with whom they interact.” When I first thought of my digital footprint, I thought of the results that would come up when I googled my name. I quickly realized that there is so much more to my footprint than a quick google search. While the footprint I leave that can be traced by a google search is important, I realized that being conscious of everything that I do terms of recordable technology is important. As of right now a search can be done on google about my digital presence, but what does the future hold? What will be able to be accessed and made public to others in the future in regards to mobile phones, email, texting and other online resources that I use. John Finch talked about ads being linked to a person specifically by the words that are in their emails and searches. A scary thought that “someone” is always watching and reading what you are doing in your online activity.

The reality of a digital footprint is a very important thing to be conscious of in my opinion, not only in my personal life but, also as a teacher. For me personally, I am realizing more than ever how vital it is that I think about each thing I type and say online. Not only does my online activity reflect who I am to those around me, but it also reflects the image I develop of myself to future employers. The fact that your digital footprint is not easily erased (or erasable at all) is a concept that needs to be taught. This is important for me personally, as well as for myself as an educator. I believe that teachers need to teach about real life and prepare students for the real world. The aspect of what digital footprint you leave will become more important as those that we are teaching leave school and enter the real world. As an educator, I can not fail to teach my students the importance of the digital footprint they are leaving. I have the opportunity to not only teach students the importance of leaving a positive digital footprint, but also to model what one looks like, perhaps a stronger and more meaningful lesson.

Fortunately for me, my digital footprint does not consist of very much and as a result I do not have to worry at this point about the negative. My digital footprint consists of: facebook, blog, pinterest, a funeral announcement, class graduation and twitter. The downside of this is there are limited positive aspects that a potential employer can find out about me. The upside is that I have the opportunity to shape my digital footprint the way I want. Starting out with a clean slate and having the information I do about the importance of a digital footprint gives me the opportunity to develop a positive online identity of myself that is reflective of who I truly am, and not who I once was.