1. What Came Up When You Searched Your Full Name?

I searched up my own name, and nothing showed up. Even if it showed up, my parents already check out my social media, and there is nothing wrong with my Instagram account. Just full of silly digital fanart of media I enjoy. Well, my employers would think I’m slightly silly, but I think there is a good chance they would still be willing to hire me. Same goes for my future educators in post-secondary.

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

If you posted something illegal or controversial, you’re heading straight to jail/prison. After your sentence, you would want to get a job, but there is a good chance that the employer won’t accept a criminal.

Or post-secondary schools can look at your social media if anything shows up choosing who to allow to study there. If there is something they don’t like or if there is something controversial such as racism, sexism, or queerphobia they won’t accept you.

 

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

 

The first thing you can do to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe is NEVER SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION like for example: IP, home address, full name, street, passwords to anything and other things that you consider personal.

The second thing you can do to keep your digital footprint safe is to NEVER POST THINGS YOU DONT WANT OTHERS TO SEE ON A PUBLIC ACCOUNT. For me, I don’t want to post things I don’t want others to see which most are personal. For example, My teacher, parents, acquaintances, my face, my theoretical crush, and my photos with other people in it with their names.

And finally, THINK BEFORE YOU POST. Is it True? Is it hurtful? Is it inspiring? Is it necessary? or is it kind? Personally, I don’t think your post has to be inspiring or necessary as long it doesn’t hurt others, as long its true, and the post is kind. If you don’t want to go through the trouble, just don’t have social media or make a private account instead.

 

4. 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?

 

Well, first biggest mistake was my Bio on my now defunct old Instagram account. My Instagram account showed what school I went to and some of my personal information. My second biggest mistake was making insensitive jokes on my Instagram. Sure, quite a bit of people found it funny, and I got quite a bit popular but if I kept on posting these things, my future would be ruined. I’m glad I deleted that old account and started over again with a new identity and matured a bit. My third and final mistake was that I used social media at a young age at 10 years old.

If I had to tell my younger self something, I would have told him to not use social media until I was 13 but, if I still kept on using social media, I would have told myself to post without hashtags and not post insensitive jokes online.