Prior to today's lecture, I was fairly knowledgeable on the concept of a "digital footprint." I understood that everything I do online is viewable by anyone who wants to see it, be it family, friends, future employers, or complete
creeps strangers. Accordingly, I knew that I had to be a responsible user; even the most insignificant, spur-of-the-moment online post could one day come back to haunt me if I wasn't careful. Having been on Twitter since early 2009, and Facebook since 2006, I learned fairly quickly that privacy settings are an internet user's best friend.
Personally, I don't have a problem sharing my life through social media. In fact, social media makes sharing my life and interests all the more entertaining. Anyone who knows me is fully aware of my obsessions, such as:
-The Toy Story movies
-Oprah
-and humorous YouTube phenomena.
The things I discuss on the internet aren't offensive or likely to come back and haunt me one day, so I don't go to great lengths to censor myself aside from trying to be respectful. Basically, I've got nothing to hide. However, I realize that there are people unlike me, who prefer to guard their lives entirely. Unfortunately, that's just not possible anymore without missing out on a pivotal part of the 21st century online experience.
My personal policy in maintaining an online presence works well in terms of being able to participate in the digital realm to the fullest. Like I said, I'm very active on Facebook and Twitter, in addition to Tumblr and a couple of online communities. I'm a very open person, so my online presence should reflect that openness, shouldn't it? I realize that this causes my digital footprint to be more significant than others, but I don't think that's a bad thing - as long as you're careful.
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