This week our #edtc300 class was tasked with finding a partner and then we had to cyber sleuth each other so we can see what our digital identities look like. I feel like “cyber sleuthing” is a regular activity for most people these days. I have a couple friends that are my go-to people for finding information online about anyone. So, it will be interesting to be on the other end of things this time! My partner for this activity is Caelyn Hembroff and I will take you through my process from my cyber sleuth on Caelyn!
Started off with a little Google search…
After googling Caelyn’s name, the first thing to come up was her two Instagram accounts, one was a personal one and the other a business account. Both of the are public accounts but they both feature very appropriate pictures that you’d expect to see on someone’s Instagram. The next thing to come up was Caelyn’s twitter account, which also had all good things and was mainly focused on education related materials. After that in the search results is her e-portfolio, which again is full of all positive things.
Next up in the search results was two Pinterest accounts, one that I am guessing is an old one because of all the saved “lifehacks” (which is what my old Pinterest also looked like). And the other account I would say is a newer one because it gives off much more adult vibes with boards for tattoo, home decor, and meal ideas. Again, both are contain very appropriate and preview typical pins. The next thing to come up was Caelyn’s VSCO account. VSCO is a public social media platform where people tend to share very trendy pictures but it also does have a reputation for people sharing more scandalous pictures. However, Caelyn’s VSCO is very appropriate and it honestly made me miss travelling.
On the second page of google, the first result is a link to @localbarrefitness on Instagram because Caelyn follows them. Next up, was a link to Caelyn’s YouTube channel but there weren’t any public videos on the channel. Then, the rest of the second page and the third page of results are just more Pinterest links.
Lastly, I went to google images. Here, I found an old twitter account of Caelyn’s from 2013. There was only a couple pictures on it (that were very representative of the trends at the time) and they were all very appropriate. I also found some old “Caelyn Hembroff Photography” pictures that were all of nature.
What else can I find…
I noticed that one major social media was missing from the google search results and that is Facebook! So, of course I got out my phone and search her name on Facebook. Sure enough she has a Facebook account, but it is very private, the only post I could see was a post from when she updated her cover photo. For her info on Facebook, I could see where she lived, her gender, and also the 99 business pages and one TV show that she has liked.
BUT when you search Caelyn’s name on Facebook, public posts from who I am guessing is her dad come up and you can see pictures from when she got her license, went to the hospital on Christmas, got accepting into university, graduated, and went fishing. From her dad’s profile I found the names of Caelyn’s siblings including her sister’s facebook. Then, from her sister’s facebook, I found her mom and Grandma’s name and also Caelyn’s birthday and age.
Overall impressions of Caelyn’s Digital Footprint
Based off Caelyn’s digital footprint I would say she is a very creative, kind, and caring person. I would say that her interests are boating, camping, plants, travelling, inclusive education, and spending time with friends and family. Based off her digital footprint, I would 100% trust, hire, and want to be her friend! I wouldn’t say that Caelyn is necessarily an oversharer or an undersharer. I feel like she is somewhere in the middle but a little closer to the undersharer side (especially on twitter). So, that being said my advice to Caelyn would be to work on maybe posting a little more on twitter. I think it would be nice if your twitter got to see a little more of you personal side like some of your likes and interests!
Digital Identities on Social Media Today
“Different sites, different audiences, different purposes.” she says. “Very simple.”
NICOLE LEE, 2016
Lee’s article Having Multiple Online Identities Is More Normal Than You Think, makes the fact that each social media platform serves a different purpose seem like a ground breaking discovery. However, to me this seems like common knowledge. After all, this idea was created on purpose by each different social media companies to attract new audiences and convince users that they need to be on their app. So, I wouldn’t say this idea is really that strange at all because social media is intentionally marketed to be like this, if it wasn’t like this there wouldn’t be multiple social media platforms.
“Instagram is where everything appears to be perfect and highly filtered, whereas my Snapchat is raw and more visceral”
Nicole Lee, 2016
This quote reminded me of the “how social media looks to me” TikTok trend from a while ago. For this trend, people found videos that they thought matched the aesthetic or vibe that each social media gave off.
“I also think having multiple social accounts takes the pressure off having a perfect feed of social moments.”
Nicole Lee, 2016
I would agree with Lee that the use of multiple accounts on each social media platform is a relatively recent phenomenon. I also feel like it is becoming increasingly more common. In fact, it is so common today that in my friend group all of us that have multiple Instagram accounts or multiple private stories on snapchat. It also seems like it is more uncommon to not have this. I also know that kids around 13 and 14 years old have even taken this idea to TikTok and now they have multiple TikTok accounts.
I feel like need/want of multiple accounts stems from the fact that my generation was raised very aware of the potential consequences social media can have. So, we’ve tried to figure out a way to have certain social media accounts attached to our name that put out the picture perfect life in a professional way for the world to see. Then, we have other accounts that offer a more candid look into our lives that is only for our close friends to see. So, I can totally see how the Split Image article comes into play, but it honestly feels like we were almost taught to create this split image life. It is like the unwritten rule of social media is that you post the highlights of your life. That is another bonus of having multiple accounts on each social media platform is that it takes the pressure off of posting because you don’t have to post only picture perfect things.
I am curious to see how many #edtc300 classmates have multiple social media accounts for the same platform? If you are comfortable sharing more, let me know why in the comments.
Hey Kassia!
I remember this assignment when I took EDTC and I had a lot of fun with it (and from reading your post, it seems like you would be a great detective!). I think you brought up a great point about this new phenomenon of having multiple accounts on social media. Just recently I decided to Google myself and I found an old Facebook account that I made when I was 10 (please don’t call the cops on me). It was something I completely forgot I even made but I was able to find it just from a quick google search. I think for me personally, as I look to become a teacher, it’s important that I have different accounts for different purposes. As teachers, we are called to present ourselves in a professional manner, which means keeping personal accounts private while also having separate accounts where you can develop a professional network. It was great to read your post and if I ever need a private investigator in the future I now know who to call!
-Caleb