Digital identity is such an importance concept to understand. Essentially digital identity is the footprint you leave on the internet, it’s “the body of information about an individual, organization or electronic device that exists online” (TechTarget, August 2013). Your digital identity includes usernames, social media profiles, emails, posts, comments, etc. essentially everything you do on the internet. When looking for a job it is important to have a clean digital identity, often people are penalized because of what they post. Having a digital identity has a tons of advantages, this can include networking, keeping up with friend and family, following current events digitally, as well as sharing information for fluidly on the internet.
Personal and Professional Approaches to Social Media Identities
Personal and professional approaches to digital identity can greatly affect social media use. Often a more personal approach is more casual, and the main purpose may to be to connect with friends and family. For example, someone using social media with a personal digital identity approach may posts pictures of themselves on vacation, hanging out with friends, etc. Whereas someone who has a professional approach may have separate networks for their professional page. an example of a more professional social media would be Linkden. This kind of approach may also include having a more professional aesthetic, only professional photos, or sharing information that only has to do with their business. Often big businesses may run their employee pages for them to ensure your content aligns with their company and its values.
Digital Wallets
One big and upcoming thing is a digital wallet, a digital wallet is an “app or online service used to make payments electronically or to store electronic tickets, documents, etc.” (Oxford Dictionary). A complicated question is :” Can a digital wallet provide trust in networked publics?“, because most of the time having a digital wallet is extremely beneficial, no longer do you have to carry around your wallet, it will hold on to your crypto, passport, credit cards, debit cards, and even tickets to an event. It so convenient that it outweighs the potential risks. There are also precautions taken to make sure your information isn’t stolen. For example, when paying with apply pay, rather then giving the transaction your debit cards digits, apply pay generates unique numbers for each transactions, this in digital terms is called a token and prevents sharing your private information. In some sense this makes it almost better then carrying around a physical card. It’s easier to use, harder to lose, and much safer. For that 1% risk of losing your information you should be careful of getting hacked, it is possible to have your information stolen on a general wifi, although hard there are precautions you should take such as: reading up on the platform your using, keep your apps updated, don’t use public wifi while paying, using secure websites, and strong passwords.
My Own Digital Identity
I first started using social media when I was in the fourth grade, back in 2013. It started out as wanting to use the rainbow throw up filter on snapchat, then I downloaded Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Linkden and more. There are constantly new social medias appearing and I’m glad I was taught young about a digital footprint. I have never left a nasty comment or posted something inappropriate. I have always been extremely careful about what I post on the internet and understand that the things you post on the internet influence your future opportunities. I still use my social media personally, which includes photos of my interests, friends, going out and more. After reading the articles for the week and YouTube videos, I decided to cleanse my social medias. I am looking for an internship this summer and I defiantly don’t want anything bad on my social medias. For my professional profile I have a Linkden account, I post about my new jobs and connect with my classmates and family in attempt to start building my network. Linkden has actually been super helpful in finding and utilizing connections.
Tips
Some steps to consider prior to posting, commenting or even making a social media are as listed
1. Be mindful of the information you share online: Avoid sharing your sensitive information such as your home address or contact information.
2. Use privacy settings: if you want your posts to only be seen by certain people, turn your profile on private
3. Be aware of your online reputation: Ensure everything you post on the internet you’re okay with anyone seeing. once its out there its out.
Biography
Contributor, T. T. (2017, August 30). What is digital identity?: Definition from TechTarget. WhatIs.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/digital-identity