My Digital Footprint

For this blog post, I have attempted to create my own Digital Footprint, based on Apps/platforms I frequently use. I found an image on Google that I thought looked really cool, and it sparked a desire to create my own version of something similar. I wish there was some sort of generator online that allowed you to compile something like this, but alas, I was not able to find one. On the plus side, going in and drawing out all these little App icons gave me plenty of time to reflect on this project and the extent of my digital identity.

I have included 30 items on my footprint, and while I may not use all of these on a daily basis, they are all apps or platforms I at least somewhat regularly access. This is by no means an extensive list of all the apps I have ever used, but it is a pretty accurate display of what I have been using in the past year. Upon some reflection, I wonder how many accounts I may have out there on websites or platforms that I just tested out once and then forgot all about. That’s why I have tried to focus on apps or platforms that require some sort of account, as I believe these are the ones that actually cause a “footprint” – my account and data will likely still be there for quite some time, even if I personally forget all about it and don’t use it.

I have tried to Google myself, and a couple different results show up, depending on how I go about typing my name in. If I just search my first and last name, I show up in a Linked-In search and a Facebook search, but none of these link directly to my profile – they are simply searches on each website, and on Facebook I only show up if you are actually on my friends list. There’s quite a bit of hits for memorials or deceased people – none of those are actually me, obviously – but there isn’t much for anything that is actually me, not even pictures. If I search my first, middle, and last name, though, there are a few hits there that surprised me. To my horror, I have realized that a film analysis project I worked on in my undergrad degree is available for everyone to see and download from my previous university’s project library. I started reading this film analysis of mine, and discovered some grammatical errors right on the first page, so I’m way too embarrassed to even continue reading it. Imagine that – one of my teachable subjects is English Language Arts, and one of the first things my prospective employers may stumble upon is a project that isn’t even all that good.

On the other hand, a search result also shows that I was a part of the Aalborg University Shakespeare Company and participated in the play Much Ado About Nothing as an extra. There’s also pictures up from that, but since they are not labelled, people that don’t know me would not be able to tell if I’m in them or not – and since I only made it into one of those pictures, and I’m kind of in the background, even people who know me might not be able to tell. I have a bit of a story there, though, but since this blog post is already turning a bit long, I’m just gonna leave it here, and move on.

Photo by Bjarne Kondrup

A simple Google search of my name would indicate that my Digital Footprint is rather minimal, since there isn’t a whole lot that shows up, and most of the social media I use is also absent from these searches. I’m actually a bit surprised that this blog or my ePortfolio don’t show up, so if I actually want to use these, I will have to check out my privacy settings and adjust them accordingly. Furthermore, having almost no digital footprint, is not necessarily a good thing – in today’s world, it may be frowned upon if future employers are not able to find anything about me, as this could mean that I’m either just really boring and have not accomplished much, or I’m so concerned about the things that I have done, that want to hide them – and neither of those options are good. Personally, I know my Digital Footprint is much greater than what appears on my Google search, in a sense where I have several accounts on various platforms out there, and these – along with my devices – are likely monitoring and using the data that they collect from the information I put in. However, I need to work on putting some of my information out there to make my public Digital Footprint more appealing, and in line with my professional identity.

I will talk more about Digital Identity, Social Media, and its relevance on education in my next blog post!

– Martina