A digital footprint is “the record or trail left by things you do online” (Teachthought 2020) or “traces left by one’s activity in a digital environment” (PLB 2021). Anything—photographs, videos, personal websites, social media activity, online subscriptions, browsing history, and even online purchases—are part of one’s digital footprint (Teachthought 2020). The cumulative effect of a digital footprint is an impression created by a combination of active and passive data (Reyes 2020). An active or intentional data trail could be a blog, social media posts, and emails (Reyes 2020). A passive or unintentional trace is created when one uses apps or websites that use geolocation or anytime a site drops a “cookie” into one’s browser (Reyes 2020). A digital footprint is more far reaching than one might expect, so it is important to be mindful when conducting oneself online.
A digital footprint is dynamic as the information from it is used to gain personal information about a person (Ericksen 2018). A person should be encouraged to leave a strong footprint, rather than a damaging footprint. A person can ruin their career and personal life over a mismanaged digital footprint, and “building and maintaining a positive professional online profile requires active work” (Kuehn 2012). In my case, I have an online business that is connected to Etsy, Facebook, and Instagram. I carefully curate the photographs and text to meet a business standard. My clients come from all over the world, and I work hard to be honest and respectful. My social media accounts are family friendly. I am a fairly private person, and I have tried to remain modest in my online activities. As a result, I think I have a positive digital footprint, and it is becoming more meaningful as I work on my professional Blog and Twitter accounts. I think it matters that my digital footprint reflects my career path as a majority of employers investigate applicants’ digital footprints as part of the hiring process. Overall, I am mindful of my digital footprint and its implications.
References
Ericksen, Kristina. (2018). Your digital footprint: what is it and how can you manage it? Rasmussen College. URL https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/what-is-digital-footprint/
Kuehn, Larry. (2012). Manage your digital footprint.
Professional Learning Board. (2021). URL https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/what-is-the-importance-of-digital-footprints/
Reyes, Natalie. (2020). What is a digital footprint? Reputation X. URL https://blog.reputationx.com/digital-footprint
Teach Thought: We Grow Teachers (2020). 12 Tips for students to manage their digital footprints. URL https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/11-tips-for-students-tomanage-their-digital-footprints/
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