In this age – where technology has taken over almost everything – people have taken both their personal and professional life online.
Every day, millions of uploads are made to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, website comments, emails…..and many other places….and whether you are aware of it or not, you are leaving a trace with all activities you do online. You are contributing to the tremendously growing identity of who you are online, and that’s more public than you might think.
Basically, all the activities to do online lead to the creation of your digital portrait and footprint.
Your digital footprint is everything about you, and everything about what you do online. This is the summation of all the activities you do that can be potentially tracked and seen by other people. This is things like your online history – whether it is on your own profile or other people’s profiles who have posted anything about you. For it is not only you who create your digital footprint but also the people posting things about you. Any trail of information makes up your digital footprint, even information that you might think has been deleted – because once it’s online it can no longer be totally deleted.
There will always be a trail left behind.
Your digital footprint matters. It can have an effect on your future, especially when the time comes to apply for jobs. Most companies do a background check on their applicants. What could they find out about you personally and professionally by viewing your online profiles?
It is important to be careful of all the things you do online. Be mindful of what others post about you. There may sites that offer anonymity, there might still be risks. It may be easy to connect Information back to you that was not meant to be shared publicly.
Your digital footprint reflects who you are online. How other people perceive you based on what they see you online can no longer be changed whether it is true or not. That is why the way you build your digital footprints matter. Build a positive digital footprint and practice reading terms and conditions before signing up for something unfamiliar. It’s important to find out about the people who can see your activities because you might be on the verge of putting your personal information at risk which could damage your identity to prospective employers.
Through social media, the internet has given us the chance to be more open and share more information about ourselves. But are you aware of the risks? It is, at times, hard to stop yourself from sharing things about you. But keep in mind the limitations of what should be “out there”. We have adapted to the online all the time lifestyle whereby our privacy comes last.Let’ss not forget that our online persona is the reality in the perception of others.
Think hard before you click.
