As defined by Eric Stoller, digital identity is our searchable footprint on the web that can have a super powerful impact on our reputation in both a negative and positive light. Something I noticed occurring often on social media currently is “cancel culture” which is when a public figure is being criticised by multiple people for something they have posted, whether it’s from today or ten years ago. More often than not, it’s something that was posted several years ago and is taken out of context. This is sort of a wake up call, as for individuals like myself who aren’t huge public figures with a following, this can still affect us. I recently saw a video of a person explaining their job, which was an investigator that gets hired by companies specifically to do a full web search on people that the company may employ. The investigator in the video was telling a story on how the company had to turn down a recent university grad who was perfect for the job, and was completely qualified. The applicant checked off every box, but the company had to turn her down due to content that was found posted by her. I can’t imagine how heartbreaking that must’ve been, but is all the more reason why learning about this is important.
When I took EDCI 336, we learned about this as well and did the classic google searching of yourself. I think it’s extremely important to be mindful and cautious of what you choose to put on the internet. Something that may seem okay to post now may not serve you well in the future, and can be taken out of context. I think it’s a good idea to ask myself questions like
-Could this potentially be interpreted in the wrong way?
-Could this be offensive to someone?
-Can this be taken out of context?
-If this could maybe put me at risk, is it really worth posting?
On the contrary, our digital identity allows us to showcase ourselves. In one of my classes we created an eportfolio for ourselves, which was basically an online resume. It’s awesome to have all my education, work and volunteer experience, and teaching philosophy all in one place. This could potentially lead to opportunities for work (not to mention looks good on a resume).
I think it’s so important to learn about these terms and how they impact us as the world becomes increasingly digitized. It’s always good to be on top of things, so keeping track and being self-aware of your digital identity/wallet is essential, especially as a future educator. As mentioned in the First Monday article professionals need to perform flexibly and independently in ever–changing environments. With a quick google search future employers, students, and parents can look me up, so appearing as respectable and professional is important to me. Not only is it important to look good in the google search test, but also when it comes to networking with colleagues and within the education community. This takes me to the idea of a personal learning network.
A personal learning network is essentially a personalized form of learning where we can not only access information, but can communicate and share ideas with others. PLNs are important now more than ever with the current pandemic. Learning is something that we are lucky to be able to do all together through social networking on various platforms.
References
Stoller, E. – What is Digital Identity? YouTube, uploaded by University of Derby, 25 Nov, 2016, 0:24-0:27, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0&ab_channel=UniversityofDerby
What is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)? FutureLearn. (n.d.). https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644.
