In my original search of my name, I searched “Isabella Banco”, I was unable to find any information or even a sign of my identity on the internet. However, I did a search using ““Isabella Banco” Coquitlam”, it narrowed down my options: I found a link to “Centennial Today”, which announced some of my basketball achievements. It was the only thing that came up regarding my digital history. I truly wasn’t surprised by my digital footprint because I don’t have much social media presence, publicly. I am happy that there was nothing bad on myself, which I didn’t expect there would be. Therefore, I don’t have a shocking digital footprint.

                Searching “Isabella Banco” resulted in mostly banks because my last name translates to bank in Italian; so, when “Banco” was featured, it translated to bank. The images option, focused on random dresses, as the designers shared my first name. Not only that, but I also came across pictures of random people named Isabella, which is expected because it was in my search. I did not come across any of my family. I thought that “Banco” being a portion of the search, would give me images of people I’m related to. My siblings are soccer players, so it was odd that there was no images of them playing. I do in fact, have a large family that share the last name Banco, of which play sports at a high level. Generally, a part of me was surprised that there was absolutely nothing on my family, but I think that’s for the best because I will have a less public footprint.

Now, if I did have a digital footprint that presented me in a bad way, what issues might that create? A digital footprint can be viewed by employers and can ruin the chances of getting a job. This is because a negative digital footprint can display the downside of a person and represent bad behaviors that make a bad reputation. Not only that, but businesses also have a reputation to protect, and have strict rules they must ensure will not be broken. Obviously, businesses want the best employees they can find; therefore, someone with a good digital footprint or none are better, it implies they have a good history.

                To employers, having very little on my digital footprint is beneficial, because it is proving that I have a clean record. Their main source of information on myself I can control, with recommendation letters and my resume. My chance of getting the job is more likely this way. My online presence doesn’t negative contribute to the online world. The positive thing about this, is I can control what others think of me, because there is little information online for them to judge me on. The importance of protecting myself from others being able to find information on me, is so I can live a private life and regulator what is seen of me. I am a private person on online platforms. I believe that is for the best, so I depend less on technology and the online communities’ thoughts of me. Overall, my absence in the online community is how I prefer it right now, and I feel that what is public presents me well.

                As to what does exist, my current footprint is something that I would want post-secondary schools to see. I have an interest in getting an academic scholarship and/or a basketball scholarship. My impact on the grade nine teams scores is mention in “Centennial Today” several times, which means that I would be someone to look for on the court, as my footprint implies. I do in fact want to have a public online presence for basketball, it gives me a higher chance of being spotted by scouts. Schools would be interested in my participation in school activities, which they will find searching up my name.

                Overall, my little online presence is limited and will not negatively affect my future with job applications and post-secondary school. I am happy to see that there is not a lot of stuff on me so that I may continue to control my online presence.

To keep a digital footprint appropriate and safe people can use several different strategies: keeping accounts private, using a strong password, and not posting any information that is not wanted to be shared publicly. A private account doesn’t always mean that there is no digital footprint, but it does create less of a chance for people to find personal photos or information that was shared privately. Not only should an account be private, but the password created for it should be strong and almost impossible to guess. The purpose of a strong password is so if someone were trying to log into an account to reach private photos and get private information they can’t get in because the password is random. However, here’s a scenario: someone following a private account shares a personal photo of someone doing something that wouldn’t look good to future employers. That photo can become public and will be part of the persons digital footprint forever. So, the best solution is to not post anything that they wouldn’t want to be seen by the public. It’s important to be aware of your digital footprint, make sure that you are smart about what you do on the internet and on social media.

If I were worried for a friend, I would recommend they search themselves up. Do a deep stalking dive on themselves. To ensure that they are looking after their future, I would explain how getting a job is much harder when they have a footprint that displays them negatively. Then, I would simply suggest that they could remove the photos and make the account private. Although, the information would already be public and it couldn’t be erased once it was out there, there are steps they could take to try and get the stuff removed. Even if a friend asked or they had a public account, I would tell them that a private account is safer to keep their personal information more secret. Overall, the best way to go about a situation regarding a digital footprint, is to calmly just explain that public information is out there forever.