FOOTPRINT

A digital footprint is a trail of data that people can leave behind when they use social media, apps, or anything online. Jalger tries to really get across that our digital footprint will never be able to get erased or fixed and it can really change how some people look at you as a person and sometimes even question being around you. It can affect whether or not you get a future job, get into college or do many other things. Because your digital footprint is able to be seen by those kinds of people and it can be the difference between getting into those and not. A quote that is showing that this is true is ” Employers are increasingly making use of Internet search engines to locate and evaluate online information about potential employees. Many recruitment agencies share lists of ten negative things which employers don’t want to see online” ( What Are Employees Looking For Online). This quote shows that all employers do Digital Footprint checks to make sure that are good and safe for the job, so it is very important to be cautious of your digital footprint. A positive Digital Footprint is when you do not have dangerous, or things that employers do not want to see a good thing to have is your social media’s but no bad or disrupting things, you want everything to be professional and be something that you should not be ashamed of. A quote that shows how a positive digital footprint should look is ” For a great example of a person who has shaped their positive digital footprint, do a search for George Couros. He is a school Principal in Alberta, Canada who has his own blog, Youtube channel, social media accounts and an online digital resume. All of these are done in a social, yet professional context.” (Shaping your positive digital footprint). This is a good example of how you should make a positive digital footprint. It is very important to have a positive digital footprint because if you have a negative digital footprint you can get overlooked or looked at a lot differently because of it, if you have a good digital footprint you may be placed higher or more important then other’s with a not as good digital footprint.

Jalger also makes a huge point on understanding your digital footprint helps you with your online reputation. By checking your privacy setting and thinking about the stuff your posting or sharing with your friends can help you keep your digital footprint clean. If you are posting negative things or not good things it can make your digital footprint look bad but if you are cautious and take care of your digital footprint then it will be better long run. Being responsible online, helps you in a lot of ways, by keeping you out of trouble and also keeps your digital footprint positive which can affect you in a positive way.

“Cell Phone” by KB35 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.