Week 1

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0 

This week I started off watching Eric Stroller’s video of what a digital identity is. From the video I understood that a digital identity is your presence online. This includes everything you post, share, who you are, how you engage, how you treat people and how you use digital tools to your benefit. Everything you do on the web represents your digital identity even if it may seem small. These types of things can be beneficial or detrimental to your success online. Though there are many rewards of public communications such as it allow people to share ideas, build connections whether that’s personal or professional, and access tons of information. It can also help with your self-expression, professional networking and learning. But because content is so easily visible and sharable it can lead to a reduction of privacy in your life, a chance for misinterpretation as well as long-term digital footprints. Posts are also very easily copied, shared or seen by unintended people which can affect your reputation. 

Links: https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3559/3131 

That being said, Rajagopal et al., 2012 shared in their article that personal vs professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use by personal approaches taking more of a self-focused route that can focus on self-expression, communicating with others or creating relationships. This approach also showcases more into someone’s personal life and experiences. An example of this type of approach would be instagram. A professional approach takes more of a strategic route that is often used to help with career opportunities, networking and potentially credibility. Those that use this approach tend to be more selective when posting items online as anyone can view their profiles. An example of this type of approach would be LinkedIn. The different approaches have affected social media use as people can now choose how they present themselves depending on what audience they are using it for. Because of this, it influences what people post, like or even who they follow. Because you can use the web for both, sometimes digital identities converge in networked publics which is when different parts of a person’s life such as personal, academic, and professional, come together online. This can create challenges like less privacy and pressure to manage how others see you. At the same time, it can benefit users by helping them build connections, share ideas, and create opportunities through networking and online communities.

Link: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137405876_6#preview 

Another use of social media is to use it for networking. Rajagopal et al., 2012 state that there are 3 tasks that form the basis of all other further activities within the network. The three are building connections, maintaining connections and activating connections. Networking through social media means you are intentionally building and using online connections to support learning and professional growth. Lastly, we are motivated to participate in networked publics because they help us feel a sense of community, belonging and worth. As Spracklen explains, digital spaces like the internet act as “leisure spaces” where people create meaning, interact with others, and develop shared communities and identities (Spracklen, 2015). From a practical side, networked publics provide opportunities for learning, networking, and career development, where information and support can be accessed quickly through online connections. Finally, features like likes, comments, and shares also create social feedback and validation, which encourages ongoing participation.

Overall learning how your digital identity and footprint is created is very important as it can be either extremely beneficial or detrimental to either your personal relationships or future career opportunities.