1. How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities? (give at least two examples).
All of your online activity is connected to your name. Therefore what you do/say will follow you around for the rest of your life. And because of this, a future employer may/will stumble upon your posts, comments etc. And depending on the content of those posts/comments they will get a very clear idea of whether or not they should hire you.
2. Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe?
A good way of making sure you don’t say or do something you will later regret online, try using the THINK method (Is it true-Is it hurtful-Is it illegal-Is it necessary-and is it kind?). Of course another great way of making sure something is a good idea is by asking a friend/family member for their opinion (or any form of a second/third etc. opinion).
3. If you could go back in time, is there anything you would do differently online? (Think of what type of advice you would pass along to your younger self and/or another student). How could you go about explaining this?
I wouldn’t change anything about my past online activity, but I would probably change my attitude towards what my friends did online. Though most of them were respectful and kind, there were times in which they could have thought twice before posting something. In those situations I should probably have given them a friendly reminder of the consequences their actions could later face in life.
Image Source: