Digital Footprints and Digital Citizenship

Do I want a digital footprint? Absolutely! More importantly, I want a positive one. From my very first digital encounter, the data I’ve chosen to share has gathered to form what’s known as my digital dossier or digital footprint. Likely, you have a digital footprint too! An easy way to briefly see your footprint is to Google yourself. Simply type in your name to view the content that appears so you can rest assure that only positive data is shown on your personal Google search.

In the digital age we live in today, maintaining a positive digital footprint is essential. Something that everyone should take note of is something called Netiquette. If you haven’t already figured it out, netiquette is basically your etiquette on the Internet. There’s a strong correlation between netiquette and a positive digital footprint. Rule 5 of Netiquette is to look good online, which is exactly what you want to do in order to maintain a positive image. Another way to maintain a positive footprint is to be conscious and aware of everything you post online. By being aware, you can make an effort to make the right decision of what to include on your profiles.

Alongside your personal digital dossier, there’s digital citizenship. Digital citizenship discusses what’s considered as appropriate use of technology and has nine elements. After taking the Digital Driver’s License exam, I found that I lack knowledge most in the digital citizenship element of security. Digital Security is about the precautions individuals should take to ensure their safety. This has to do with not only privacy settings on social networks, but firewalls, and anti-virus protection. It’s important to make sure you as a user are on a safe network. I think it would surprise many people to know how websites or social media sites use their information. I have now made it a commitment to check all of my digital profiles and ensure that I have the proper privacy settings and I suggest everyone to do the same! 

I have confidence in the element of Digital Health and Wellness. Digital Health and Wellness considers physical and psychological effects of technology on users. I find this element very important and that it can easily be ignored. Always having our phones on us, or falling asleep watching Netflix, can have a significant impact on our bodies and minds. Though it is important to keep up with technology, we also must take a moment and step away from it in our every day lives. When being part of a digital world, you must weigh the benefits to the risks when it comes to your health and wellness.

Take a moment to track your digital footprint and see what you find. Make the effort to form your footprint into a positive one and maintain it!