Will my Digital footprint really last a lifetime?

Have you ever thought about how simple a post on social media could affect you for the rest of your life?... Your Digital footprint, a trail you leave online forever.

Your digital footprint refers to the trail of data that you leave behind that you create when using the internet. This involves the websites you visit, emails you send and information that you submit on all online services. I believe that my own digital footprint is going to last a lifetime after my research was conducted today. As a student who uses digital technologies on a daily basis I often find myself at ease knowing that once I logout of my computer that the stuff I have looked up for throughout the day is no longer in my database, but this is not the case. Once you logout of your computer your data is still floating around throughout the internet slowly breaking away potentially misleading your personal information and your own personal thoughts.

The University of Edinburgh in the article published "managed your digital footprint", states that "students are aware that they are creating these tracks and traces". I agree with this point of view but are students really clear of the consequences that could be placing themselves and others at risk, especially with their own personal information. The strengths of digital footprint is that suspicious behaviours can be tracked down using online data potentially saving the lives of others, it allows your computer to make positive personalisations to your software and recruiters could potentially find the right candidates for job positions using digital footprint. The weaknesses of digital footprint is that this could possibly lead to the consequences of a stolen identity, it can lead to a loss of privacy and that your digital footprint can ultimately never be deleted. It may also impact their employment prospects leading to the consequences of being denied by jobs in the future (Wang 2013; Scott et al. 2014). After looking at this research I believe that the use of digital technology is life changing and if we don’t know how to use it safely then we should not be using it at all. As mentioned by Osborne, N & Connelly, L (2015), the digital footprint campaigns are designed to protect “tech savvy” students with the aim to protect them. After considering this factor my stance on this issue is a two way stance due to the appropriate factors available to protect all users of the internet with a feeling of security and reassurance.

From my findings I would utilise this information in a classroom setting where young students are supervised when playing around and researching the internet. To do this I would try to limit the use of the internet in the classroom, although I understand this is a vital resource for students growth and that they should be allowed to use it at any time, I believe that there should be safety constrictions around their uses especially the protection of their privacy.

References

Osborne, N., & Connelly, L. (2015, July 9). Managing your digital footprint: possible implications for teaching and learning. Www.research.ed.ac.uk. https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/managing-your-digital-footprint-possible-implications-for-teachin

Your digital footprint. (n.d.). ESafety Commissioner. https://www.esafety.gov.au/educators/classroom-resources/be-deadly-online/your-digital-footprint