To me, a digital footprint is the data and information about you that is online, whether it be on social media or your search history.
I am only 20 years old, so social media and the internet are something that I have been exposed to for most of my life. I got my first iPod touch when I was 7 years old. Isn’t that crazy to think about? A 7-year-old with an iPod. I don’t think my parents understood all the things an iPod could do and what I could access using it. So, I had free range on it, no restrictions at all. With that freedom, it’s pretty obvious that I have a large digital footprint. I’ve made Youtube videos, and TikTok’s, posted on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I have also been in the newspaper a handful of times. When I Google myself the things that come up are: my Youtube channel (one of them haha), my newspaper appearances for gymnastics accomplishments and helping out with the foodbank, my grandpa’s obituary, and things completely unrelated to me. I know that google isn’t the only place to look, so I searched myself up on social media platforms and just my accounts came up. In doing all this, I feel fairly comfortable with my digital footprint. Now though, I wish there less because I want to be mysterious and not give strangers any type of access to who I am, but with the internet, there is no erasing anything, so I have to come to terms.
Here is the link to my Youtube channel because I know you’re going to look anyway: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEG4HCVCMMOxqccC-StVw5A/featured