The prompt for this blog post could be a dangerous one, depending on the person writing this post. There are many rabbit holes someone could go down with an open ended question such as this. I’m going to focus primarily on digital footprint. I find this topic to be somewhat controversial as there is no correct right or wrong for what a person’s digital footprint should look like. Every person is unique and an individual therefor there are many factors to what a persons footprint should look like. A grown adult in the working world on average is going to have a larger digital footprint then a young students in elementary school. This is because they have had a lot more exposure to the digital world then a person younger then them.
Digital citizenship and Digital footprint are 2 ideas that go hand in hand as a students if we teach our students how to be positive digital citizens the higher the chance our students have a positive digital footprint. As we talked about during class there are children who have a digital footprint started before they are born. Lots of parents post images of their children’s ultrasounds. Even though the child is not born yet, that image of them on the internet has started or contributed to their digital footprint. Sometimes there is a negative stigma for an child to have this digital footprint, however, I like playing the devils advocate and if the child is not being put in harms way, or exposing personal information, what is the big deal about this child having a digital footprint. Technology is changing so fast and social media and internet platforms are changing and adapting so fast, what will a digital footprint look like 10 years from now. If you take a look at social media now, Facebook is a platform now directed at “Boomers” or “Old People” according to students now. What will happen when all the people who use Facebook now no longer use it? Will Facebook exist?
A big part of having a digital footprint is being self aware and safe when it comes to what, when, and how you use the internet. There has been a direct correlation between the amount we use the internet and how large our digital footprint is and mental health and anxiety.
In the book “The Anxious Generation“, it pinpoints when the world saw an increase in mental health difficulties and anxiety. In the book it talks about when cell phones, video games, and other forms of technology were introduced there was an increase in mental health and anxiety/ depression issues. With an increase in usage we have also seen a decrease in resiliency and drive in children. Having a cell phone or the internet readily accessible people can receive the instant gratification or being able to answer a question or find information without having to do the work to find it. These are concepts that in my opinion very important that the next generation knows and understands.