1. How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities? Give at least two examples.
I would assume that a digital footprint is a very powerful tool to bring back evidence from the past, and when we are talking about the past, it is important to remember if people can use the past against you. I believe that it is very rare that people to use information about the past for your inconvenience or personal gain, so, therefore, I would envision your digital footprint used as more of a tool of evidence for informational purposes rather than actually affecting the whole of your life. Although, I do strongly value online safety, knowing that there are occurrences where you would really regret taking something back you put on the internet. So, for the question of how might my digital footprint affect your future opportunities, first of all, I believe that a knowledgeable person would not first judge you on your digital footprint and jump to a conclusion about your personality/abilities, but at certain times, having a poor and maybe even a foolish background on the internet may make you seem unprofessional even with your proficient skills. I would think that having a good digital footprint is certainly better than not having one, although, if you regret something you put on the internet and you know you can’t take it back, it is a more wise use of time to move on to how you can improve your self in the present, rather than frustrate yourself on the past.
Tip: A good way to decide what to put on the internet is to ask yourself “how will this affect me in ten years, and what will I think of this decision”
2. Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe.
- Before you socially post anything on the internet, ask yourself “How will sharing this benefit me? How will share this benefit others? What will sharing this change?”
- Understand who your audience is, if you are posting to everyone, don’t include possible ethical elements that are offensive to certain people, don’t include information about other people without permission, and thoroughly check for these things to make sure there aren’t accidents.
- Ask yourself “what is the intent of sharing this to these people” therefore giving yourself the oppertunity reflect.
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.
Be more active and avaliable offline than online
Reflect on your choices
Look past the past, improve the present