What is a Digital Footprint?
Digital footprints are the traces or trails that one leaves behind on the internet. This can include anything from photos, videos, emails, and essentially any information that is being transmitted online. All of these things contribute to creating a trace of ones personal information on the web. The article "What's Your Digital Footprint" stresses to "REMEMBER: WHAT YOU DO ONLINE IS PERMANENT." As It can be very difficult to get rid of or erase negative information that has been transmitted online.
Watch this quick video to learn more about "Digital Footprints"
The social network you should be most cautious of.
Employers will likely be checking online social networks during the hiring process. According to marketwatch.com, "85% say they check Facebook, 66% look on LinkedIn and 40% eye Twitter and Instagram when vetting candidates" making Facebook the leading network to keep an eye on. It is said that Facebook tends to be the most incriminating. It is possible that this is because Facebook hold and immense amount of information and it could be easy for one to lose track of what has been liked or posted.
Personal information shared online such as inappropriate photos/videos, drinking and/or drug use, or any discriminatory comments will result in not being hired or being fired from your job. As well as this, posting to social media too frequently can cost a job opportunity. More than this, you want to avoid fighting with others or talk badly about coworkers and employers. It is also important to not forget about the comments and photos that you are tagged in.
Finally, you should assume that your account is not private and that regardless of its status your content should always be appropriate. This is because employers may attempt to access personal social media accounts by creating a fake account to gain access to your information.
Ways for students to manage their digital footprint
An article from teachthought.com explains many different tips for students to manage their digital footprint. Out of the twelve tips, I thought I would share three of what I believe to be the most helpful.
1. Always keep things light, bright, and polite.
Keeping things light, bright, polite and demonstrating digital citizenship immediately prevents a negative footprint. The easiest way to manage your digital footprint is by making sure everything you post is brief, helpful, and respectful. As well as this it is important to demonstrate digital citizenship, which is the responsible use of technology and engagement.
2.Utilize online tools.
You can utilize online tools such as the google search engine and Google Alerts to manage your digital footprint. Simply search your name in the google search engine and you will be able to see information from your social networks that are public. In a google search you are also able to see anyone who may have mentioned your name whether it be a friend or a family member. Google alerts will further allow you to manage your footprint by sending an email notifying you each time your name is mentioned online. You can use these tools to monitor your digital footprint. As well as to find unwanted public information that one would want to have removed if possible.
3.Keep a list of accounts and a place to store all passwords.
It is very important to keep track of all the accounts and passwords you create. With the amount of online networks available to us, It can be easy to lose track of accounts and passwords. It would be beneficial to begin to locate and delete accounts that you have made and do not use. A great tool mentioned in the article is a google add-on called Use Pocket. With this add-on you will be able to store all of the accounts you've created in your pocket account. You could then remove or deactivate accounts directly from your pocket account.
As well as this, you definitely do not want to leave a trail of sensitive information online that you hadn't made yourself. This could be a result of password exposure. To ensure that this doesn't happen, it would be wise to utilize a password keeper to store all of your passwords in one safe place. Furthermore, it would be a good idea to check in with your passwords and change them ideally every couple of months.
Originally published Oct 05, 2021
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