Will my Digital Footprint Really Last a Lifetime?

A digital footprint can be described as traces (information) that people leave when they spend time online (Dr Rachel Buchanan, 2018). This can be shown in a variety of ways. Some common examples are: being tagged in photos, uploading photos or even messaging people. Due to the increasing use of technology in today’s society as suggested in my first blog post, many employers look at their prospective employee’s digital footprints (Dr Rachel Buchanan, 2018). This is why digital footprints need to be taught positively in today’s education.

I believe that digital footprints could potentially last a lifetime however, due to masses of information being processed consistently on the internet these footprints could be buried. Although employers look at digital footprints, due to the multitudes of photos and videos being uploaded every second, things that may have happened in the past (couple of years prior) may be overlooked.

Digital footprints has “the potential for reputation and image management, creative expression, learning support, digital literacy, social community building and the broader capacity for digital skill building that comes with online activity” as stated by Dr. Rachel Buchanan and others (2018, pp. 9). Because of this, we should be teaching students that digital footprints aren’t always negative as most perceive them to be. The negativity of the views of digital footprints should be retaught. As children grow up, many are taught not to use digital technologies for dangers of perceived threats such as misuse of internet, older predators and so on.

This is why we need to focus on presenting a positive view on technology. Many students use the internet for educational purposes so by turning them off, it would be a step back in education. Teaching kids how to manage good digital footprints would be beneficial to them. Dr Rachel Buchanan’s (2018) survey showed that many professionals think that to do this we must introduce them to case studies, using policies and privacy management.

In conclusion, digital footprints need to be educated in a positive manner rather than in a negative light. Because of the growing increase in technology, digital footprints are used by employees and therefore a good digital footprint is required. This needs to be taught in schools, but because the Australian Curriculum is overcrowded we need to find a separate way of teaching it. Children today are using technology from young ages and more often than not parents aren’t teaching children the appropriate way to use their identity on the internet.

Some suggestions for those looking to support children in the use of technology but also by ensuring they look after their identities are as follows: teachers should enforce rules, allow children to use a pseudonym and incorporate such rules into their classroom today. As teachers allow students to use technology more and more in their classrooms, teachers should teach students how to use a pseudonym until they are old enough to use their own name as well as teach kids the positive way of using the internet and creating their digital footprints.

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References:

Dr Rachel Buchanan, Associate Professer Erica Southgate, Dr Jill Scevak & Dr Shamus P Smith. (2018). Expert insight into education for positive digital footprint development. Professional Learning, 37, 1-18. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-37-2018/expert-insights-into-education-for-positive-digital-footprint-development