In each other’s spaces: Digital Sleuthing exercise

For the class exercise, I snooped on my friend Rosalie. After this was complete, I gave her some feedback about her digital identity.

One of things that stood out to me was Rosalie was surprised about some of the information that was available about her online. She simply was not aware that certain information was out there.

It’s just nice to know what is publicly available or not. But all too often, we do not take the time to figure this out. For this reason, I feel grateful for this course, and the learning experiences that have been offered to us.

For example, neither of us realized that YouTube shares your personal playlists publicly. Rosalie seemed surprised by this and I was as well. For this reason, I’m going to check my own settings, and make sure I’m not sharing my YouTube lists with others. For me, I prefer to be more private with what I share with others.

My friend and classmate Janet snooped on me. I felt fairly content with the feedback that she gave to me. Mainly, that most of my personal details, such as my birthday and address are hidden. I feel that’s important in protecting ourselves from threats like identity theft. Also, because I work in some higher-risk settings, I like to keep my home life safe and private. It was nice to hear the feedback from her that my online presence comes across as professional. This is what I aim for in the work I do through my business.

Reflections

After completing our class learning, my view has shifted. I now feel strongly that every person should be making themselves aware of what information is available about themselves online. It is so easy to live in an imaginary bubble where you do not think to ask yourself what kind of information about your life may be public, but it is a question everyone should be asking.

I plan to educate my family and friends about the importance of this. One of the aspects that I love about being a University Student, is the exposure to new ideas and concepts and the openness that comes along with it. I feel that it is easier to explore new ways of knowing and doing as a student. It is also easier to try to convince some of the hard-minded adults in my life to learn to think a little bit differently, when I can share knowledge from a classroom perspective.

Here are some articles I will share with my friends and family:

Manage Your Online Reputation

17 Things to Know Before Googling Yourself