Digital (Permanent) Footprint

I may be part of the last American generation to not have smartphones around until sometime in middle school. I am very appreciative of that fact as I have childhood memories of running around outside, playing make believe, and setting up forts in my attic instead of glued to a phone. I more than love having a smartphone now but I’m thankful my childhood was different.

I now use technology for school, work, social/communication, entertainment, and probably way too many other things. In many ways it makes life easier and allows more productivity but for each benefit, there is also risk of negative impact. That’s why it’s so important to regularly assess the emotional and mental strain and stress. In many ways, the internet adds more stress and burden that we weren’t meant to handle. We now have instant access to news updates, which means we’re constantly faced with issues outside of our control.

There is a developing concept called “digital wellbeing” that has many different definitions. One that I especially like is “The mindful balance between digital connectivity and digital unplugging.” (Corina Sas)

This is what I am aiming for - because the key to well being in anything is finding the right balance for yourself.  It may be different for different people and even for myself at different times in my life, but that is the goal I aim for. 

Like the prompt suggested, I decided to search for myself on Google. Some of my top hits were: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, VSCO, DePop account (which I didn’t know I had), and voter info. There was also some old/outdated information like my old jobs or old accounts I don’t use anymore, my personal info including my home address, age, and jobs I’ve held. It’s very scary how easily people can find info. Thankfully, I don’t have a bad image but I don’t like how easy it is to find all of my and my family’s personal information. 

There are tons and tons of articles and advice that are worth looking into. Here are some that I found: 11 Tips For a More Professional Social Media Presence; Remove Yourself from the Internet, Hide Your Identity, and Erase Your Online Presence; 8 Steps to Being (Almost) Completely Anonymous Online; How to Protect Your Privacy Online

I also recently learned about something called the National Day of Unplugging. Unplug Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes the National Day of Unplugging. It started in 2009 as an awareness campaign that promotes a 24-hour respite from technology annually observed the first weekend in March.

Hopefully these will help you become more aware of your use of time and digital footprint just like they helped me. Now, I’m going to take a break from my electronics and go for a nature walk. You should too.