I googled myself, expecting a few things to possibly come up because of the sports teams i play for. I was not completely surprised by the results, although I did not think multiple different things would show up. All my social media accounts are private although if you search my name things still show up. When you first search my name and go into images a picture of me comes up from when I won nationals with my team B.C team. Along with this picture many other related things came up, such as news articles and statistics from soccer provincials and lacrosse nationals. My existing digital footprint is not at all negative and portrays a minimum yet accurate representation about the person I am in real life. Just by looking at my digital footprint you would be able to tell that I am very dedicated to sports and have had success in the past.
My online footprint is a good example of “Control of identity” because the images and articles that come up do not overshare my information and in no way have a negative impact on my digital footprint. My digital footprint is not only clean but can also have many positive impacts on my future. It would have a positive impact when trying to get scholarships for lacrosse because universities would see my past experiences and accomplishments with high-level lacrosse. It could also have a positive impact for job recruitment because the employers would be able to see that I’m determined, dedicated and a team player, which are all great things for not only sports but in jobs.
Three strategies to keep your digital footprint clean and safe are to keep your accounts private to ensure that your information is safe and can’t be accessed by everyone. Another strategy is to always think twice before you post, comment or put anything out into the digital world because it is stuck there forever. My last strategy is to always remember that your actions can tremendously affect yourself and others so be careful and smart about what you post.
The information that I learned and want to pass on is that you should focus of keeping a limited but accurate digital footprint that has a positive impact on yourself, your future and others. Always remember the impact a single post can have not only positively but negatively. Therefore be smart and safe online.
https://www.edvolvelearning.com/blog/think-before-you-post-or-text-or-snap-a-photo-that-is