Digital footprints... There is already alot of digital information about you that you have no control over - bank, medical, educational, government... all these agencies hold a detailed account about you. And that’s just the start. You’re constantly being tracked on the web - what you look at, how long you stay on a page, where you go next, what you buy ...what you might also be interested in... Then there’s what others post on the web about you - photos, comments, critiques... All the above coupled with what you put online yourself builds a picture of who you are - photos, musical preferences, messages, video clips, exercise ratings, game characters...
Do you know how much of your ‘digital self’ is out there?
Have you ever ‘googled’ yourself?
Are you aware of your ‘digital footprints’? - whatever you put online, stays online! Think before you publish - would you be happy if your mum saw that photo? If your employer saw that tweet? The ‘This Is Me’ project, developed at the University of Reading, aims to help people learn more about what makes up their digital identity and ways to develop and enhance it. “Digital identity is made up of multiple parts – it isn’t just what we have published about ourselves on the web, but also what others have published about us.” Have you ever tried ‘googling’ yourself? This site has several fun stories and exercises to help raise awareness around the various issues surrounding digital identity, inviting you to play detective to search for people and evaluate what you find. You can also download a free workbook to help you learn more about your digital identity. Wouldn’t you like to have as much control over how your persona is presented as possible? Wouldn’t it be good to feel confident about the virtual environment you’re increasingly part of and make it work for you? Read on to find out how you can use the web to your advantage...
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