Digital Identity/Footprint (Tech Task #8)

I wouldn't say that I cast a particularly big shadow on the Internet. The first thing that pops up in a search that is definitely 'me' under 'Kris Keen' is a Prezi I did for Cam's Exceptionalities class, and for "Kristopher Keen", it's usually my online portfolio (which needs more updating, I've done some, but it needs more of that). I have had considerable online activity through various pseudonyms on different boards related to my personal interests (history, gaming, etc) but much of that is not going to be particularly easy to find via a mere Google search.

I would suspect that my online presence probably mirrors an older version of online citizenship, in which most interactions were carried on under pseudonyms and you were, in fact, much freer to act differently than you are today. Increasingly, people seem comfortable with using their real names and presenting their online selves as being the same as their offline selves. The Internet is more of an extension of their social lives than some sort of parallel and different world.

I think that the concepts of digital identity and digital footprints are essential to teach to young people. They often have a very unclear idea of how their digital identity connects or does not connect to themselves, even when they are not using a pseudonym. A lot of young people are not only comfortable with giving their names, but personal information such as location, school and other things, which presents considerable security risks.

Aside from the obvious safety concerns, there is also the issue of reputation. We live in a world where reputation is easily ruined and hard to gain. All it takes, sadly, is one mistake. It used to be that very often, such things only spread to one circle of friends, or one school. Now, it can be shared with the whole world. It can have serious consequences for their lives, both in terms of their futures (employers are searching through social media) and even legally.

The fact is that a 17-year old girl can be prosecuted for child pornography for sending a nude picture of herself to her 18-year old boyfriend. Very often, such cases are not prosecuted, but they sometimes are and a conviction will almost certainly torpedo any serious hope of having a good career. Unfortunately, on the Registry, no distinction is made between a single nude selfie and being the proprietor of a vast commercial network. Such a thing is almost certainly unfair to the extreme- I think there probably needs to be a serious review of laws relating to social media, but that is the world as it exists.

A reasonable goal for me in the next while is to build up a stronger internet presence in a positive way and a serious consideration of what I want to present or take down as I move into becoming a service teacher.