Why Good Footprints are Important

What is a digital footprint? A digital footprint is the information that stays online about a person. it is based off of their online activity and what they do online. How does someone create a positive digital footprint? What are the consequences of a negative digital footprint? It is very imortant for a student to have a good digital footprint for many different reasons.

What does it mean to have a good digital footprint? There are many different ways to have a positive digital footprint. A time that it would be important may be when you are trying to get a job, go to college or even just have a positive image online. You can grow you digital footprint by being active on social media in a positive way, blogging or maybe creating an online resume. Some business’s make their business look better online, “They do this by flooding search engines with articles, photos, comments and links that paint a more positive image about the business or person.”(Jalger). This can create an image online that gives the company a good digital footprint, or appearance online.

How does a person or company obtain a bad digital footprint? To start, if a person is on social media posting things that may be touchy or very vulgar or sensitive, that can create a bad image for them. A bad digital footprint can deter a company from hiring you or maybe even cause a college to reject your application. If you are online saying words that will offend or hurt others then that can create a bad digital footprint. “The r-word hurts. Even though many people are trying to keep others from saying it, it’s a big part of many kids’ vocabulary.”(Angela). Many people don’t understand how it feels to be different or in the situation that some of these people are in when they use words like the r-word. People shouldn’t use words like that especially online where it has a bigger audience and a much higher chance of hurting someone.

Ways that students can create a positive digital footprint for their school are by being positive online when representig themselves and their school. If some kids make an account online representing their school and they post positve and good things then that can create a good digital footprint for the school itself and individuals. If students are posting negative things online or things that look bad then it can tarnish their image and the image of the school. “I like the idea of trying to use my blog as a way to share ideas for how people could do small things to make a difference for ANY cause.”(Angela).

To sum up everything that has been stated so far, your digital footprint is very important. It can have a huge impact on big important things in your life so make sure you are making good choices online.

“Digital Footprint” by kyteacher is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.