Digital Footprint Assignment

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

Your digital footprint can impact your future drastically.  When applying for a job, recruiters commonly look through your social media accounts, and search up your name, trying to find out what you are like as a person.

If your digital footprint includes anything that gives you a bad image, like an offensive post, or a damaging picture, you could miss out on the job, as the recruiters will have a changed perspective on you.

Likewise, if your digital footprint paints you as a good person, or demonstrates something that recruiters desire,  it could also be of benefit to you, possibly helping you get the job.

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

Knowing that a safe and appropriate digital footprint is vital for your future, strategies can be used to prevent posting anything harmful.

1. I always double check my posts, making sure there is no sensitive information included.
2. When posting, I always think, “Is this post appropriate?”, and, “Would my teacher view me differently if they saw this?”.
3. I make sure to always double check the authenticity of a site, when entering sensitive info, like passwords, to make sure they aren’t scams.

If you could go back in time, is there anything you would do differently online? Think of what advice you would pass on to your younger self or other students. How would you go about explaining it to them?

If I could give advice to anyone younger, about the internet or social media, I would tell them to act the same way online, as they would in real life.

The internet is beneficial in many ways, but there’s drawbacks. Talking to someone over the internet, almost takes away the human interaction, and instead feels like you’re speaking to a computer, making it easier for someone to be rude or insult others without thinking.