Who Checks Your Digital Footprint?
How can information you post online now affect your future?
Have you ever Googled yourself?
Your digital footprint is all the information online about a person either posted by that person or others, intentionally or unintentionally.
KNOW YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT
It's growing. Your footprint expands as your information is copied and passed on, making it more searchable and viewable to a large invisible audience.
It's not just up to you. When other people—like your friends, companies, or groups you belong to—track, post, or share information about you, it becomes part of your footprint.
- It's permanent. Because it's archived in a variety of ways and passed on by others, it doesn't ever go away.
Positive and Negative Footprints
However, you can also make your digital footprint work FOR you. It can help you get admitted into a school or hired by an employer. Although not everything in your footprint is under your control, there are steps you can take to make your footprint a help rather than a hindrance.
Activity
Review two of the resources below. For each resource, click the link to open. As you review them, consider the question: How can my digital footprint affect my future opportunities?
Resource 1
Read: How Colleges Use Kids' Social Media Feeds
CAROLINE KNORR, COMMONSENSEMEDIA.ORG, 3/11/2019 (4 MINS.)
Resource 2
Listen: Using Social Media, Students Aspire to Become "Influencers"
COREY TAKAHASHI, NPR NEWS, 1/7/2017 (3 MINS.)
Resource 3
Read: The Case Against Personal Brands
JESSICA HOLLAND, BBC.COM, 7/23/2017 (8 MINS.)
Resource 4
Watch: Top Tips: Social Media
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD CAREERS SERVICE, UPLOADED TO YOUTUBE.COM, 1/6/2017 (3 MINS.)
Created by Mrs. Cing
District Instructional Technology Coach - SPED emphasis
Email: cingk@rcschools.net
Twitter: @Cing_EdTech