Digital Tattoos

Digital Tattoo

Media Source: Giphy.com

Have you ever wondering what information was lingering out on the internet about you?  Would the content you come across surprise you?  I decided to stop wondering and start finding, and what I found wasn't too surprising.  I took to Google and other data mining sites to see what sort of digital tattoo I have left behind.

Before I reveal my deepest most secret internet identities 😉 let me explain what is meant by a digital tattoo.  Digital tattoos are the content and tracks we leave behind as a result of our posts or uploads and the posts or uploads of others that directly relate to us.  These can include social media posts and images, documents, personal and family information, and the list goes on.  Much of what makes up our digital tattoos cannot be erased which makes it different from the idea of a footprint as it was so often referred to before.  We have now come to realize as a society that once something is placed on the internet it is almost impossible to make it go away.  Understanding this idea is so important when it comes to how we publish ourselves on such a large platform.

So what did I find in my data mining experience?  I chose to look to do a basic Google search of myself using my go-to username, full name with initial, full name without initial, and maiden name.  I was really hoping to uncover some extraordinary images or super juicy secrets, but I'm sorry to say, I found myself to be a rather boring person on the internet.  Looking at my username brought up my Pinterest account and work directory but not much more.  I thought there would be much more out there since I have been using the same username since as far back as I can remember.  When I looked into my maiden name, I was a little surprised that none of the results had anything to do with me.  I did have a fairly popular last name and I have been married for almost my entire social media life, but not even to see something remotely close to being me was a little unexpected.  When I did actually come across information pertaining to my life, it was all under my married name.  I did find a bit more using additional sites like Intelius, Blockshopper, and Illinois Public Salaries Database.  It was kind of neat to see a couple of articles from my days as a cheerleading coach.  There were links to my Facebook and Linkedin accounts, but all the images, except one, were of my husband's family.

Overall, I wasn't too astonished about the lack of information out there about me.  Like I have said before, I have a very difficult time putting myself out on the internet for the world to see.  This isn't because I have anything to hide- just getting adjusted to revealing my ideas for others to see.  But I feel like my lack of digital presence is something I realize is not the norm.  While becoming a stronger digital presence is something I am working towards, this is something that comes so natural to many others specially younger generations.  And now, more than ever, we need to make sure our students understand their own personal digital tattoos.  From the moment they are independently using the internet, they should be taught the basics of how it should be used to leave a positive tattoo behind.