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Have you ever looked someone up on social media… and scrolled? Like a distant relative on Facebook, or your friends-sisters-friends cat on Instagram? Whether you realized it or not, you were participating in the act of cyber sleuthing – or at least the beginning stages of it. Cyber sleuthing refers to the process of investigating and tracking individuals online. Although it can be harmless to browse through an e-profile of a peer, the stakes change when the observer is an employer, family member, or student.
Different sites, different audiences, different purposes.
– Nicole Lee
Nicole Lee notes the rising trend of individuals having multiple accounts on one platform. For example, an individual can have a main Instagram account – where they post posed and filtered images – and a finstagram – for unfiltered and uncensored content. Though this allows for more multifaceted content, we must continue to be mindful of the digital footprints we are creating for ourselves. It just takes one screenshot to tarnish a public image, relationship, and/or opportunity. See more in the video below:
To put my cyber sleuthing skills to the test, I decided to use the Digital Sleuthing Worksheet to investigate my good friend Jenna. Starting with a quick Google search of her full name, there were no results that matched the real Jenna – and no red flags! To further specify my research criteria, I added first our province, and then our city. Here is what I found:
- Her e-Portfolio
- Her results from a City and Mini track meet
And… well, that was it! Overall, I found zero red flags in my research. Although, it is considered a red flag to have NO online personality at all, Jenna provided one with her e-Portfolio and extracurricular involvement. Thank you for letting me cyber sleuth you!
Overall, I had a lot of fun participating in this cyber sleuth activity. Whether you are in elementary school or university, it is always important to be mindful of what you are posting online. You never know who will be watching, so be a good digital citizen and build a positive identity online! *Que: Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell*
Something that I have been seeing more frequently online is the presence of public student-teacher accounts. On their profiles, they post daily experiences and/or struggles. Taking everything we have learned into account, what is your opinion on student-teacher-influencer content? Let me know in the comments below 😊!
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