1. How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities? Give at least two examples.
- The first example I thought of was affecting your future career. In the future when I apply to a job they might want to look into my posts online and my records on different sites. Ex. You posted a picture of you holding a bb-gun. That would not be very good as some people could think that’s a real gun and report you to the police. If that were to happen then your reputation would be as a “bad kid” and the employers would not want to hire you.
- Another way your digital footprint might affect you in the future is in the future when people are studying history. Ex. 200 years from now, when people want to know what it was like during the Covid-19 times they can look at what we wrote, said, and did online to see what our times were like.
2. Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe.
- Make sure to use Strong Passwords and DON’T share your passwords with people you don’t know or trust.
- Only put personal information in a safe online environment. Don’t put your personal information on a public account or platform that other people can find easily.
- Make sure you don’t say anything that can be used against you in the future. (Ex. Don’t say anything Inappropriate, Racist, Sexist Homophobic, etc.)
3. If you could go back in time, is there anything that you would do differently online? Think of what advice you would pass on to your younger self or other students.
So far my digital footprint has been appropriate and safe. There isn’t anything that I would really change. As a kid, my parents reviewed and helped me make accounts online. They would put names that weren’t related to me at all like “Jeans21” or “Juzbah”. Something that I would advise for younger students is to stay as safe as possible and make sure to have your parents guide you when making accounts or choosing names for online and offline games, make sure to not share your personal information online and ask your parents before signing up to anything.