This week we were tasked with collaborating on an activity surrounding our digital footprint. The premise of the activity was to use your best detective skills and find as much information as you could about another person. I partnered up with Maya Ahokas and I have to say I was quite astonished at times by the level of detail she was able to obtain about my life while searching around. I won’t spoil anything here but I highly recommend you go and check out Maya’s blog if you are interested in what she was able to uncover!
As for my search, google was my jumping-off point. This brought me to her LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and of course her blog. This article by Nicole Lee talks about how it is common for people to have multiple social media platforms and that each one has something different to offer about one’s personality. For example with myself, my Instagram is my most common curated app, where I share fun photos of exciting things that I have done recently. Facebook is for my family however, I rarely check it now, mostly just using it for Facebook Marketplace. In Maya’s case her blog was the best place for me to find out any personal information such as her year of education, interests and a little bit about her early teaching experiences at Seven Stones Community School in Regina. Her blog states that she is a very athletic person so this led me to search from some of her sports accomplishments. I was able to find out which high school she attended based on her Junior basketball photos, and after a few google image searches I was able to determine she played softball, as there was a team photo on Facebook.
Speaking of Facebook this was the place where I was able to find out more information regarding Maya’s family. I guessed the relationship she had with each family member I found which we thought was interesting. This also led me on a detour into some of her brother’s accomplishments in sports. However, getting back on track, we both struggled to find any relevant information about each others political views as this is not something we discuss much online. The video below goes into the potential dangers of sharing one’s views online and how in an instant your life can be changed by something you say.
Maya and I do not intentionally avoid sharing our views online, it is just not something that we deem necessary. Maybe it is a subconscious understanding of the potential consequences, but I see it more as us just enjoying our private lives.
My first impressions of Maya as a person based on her digital footprint are very positive. She seems like an outgoing, kind, respectful, and helpful individual. Based on her work experience she is committed to help the youth within her community and as an employer (especially of a school) this is exactly the type of person I would be looking for. I can tell that Maya is very passionate about the things that she loves however, she is also very humble about this. We have gotten to know each other a little more outside of this assignment and as we shared with each other what we found. If I had any advice for Maya in terms of her digital footprint it would be to brag a little more! She is incredibly accomplished as a softball player, traveling to several tournaments in the United States. She is also doing a lot more work with the youth than is posted online. Being humble is good but it also doesn’t hurt to give yourself a little pat on the back every now and then to celebrate how awesome you are!!
As I mentioned before head over to Maya’s blog and show her some love!
See you all next week!
It sounds like you made a new friend through this experience! I wonder if you’d feel comfortable making an assumption (that doesn’t need to be shared online) of what each other’s political affiliations are based on other interests? For example, if I saw someone who posted about their diesel truck online, I’d assume that they vote conservatively especially with respect to the carbon tax. If someone had a pride flag in the background of a photo, I may assume they vote on the democratic side.
Great post!
Thank You for your response Raisa! I think that assumptions definitely could be made as you mentioned, through context clues. For example, both Maya and I attended a Catholic school so some assumptions could be made about our faith. However, it is difficult to judge someone purely based on those assumptions, and in my opinion, you would need to chat with them to get a better understanding of those views.
Hi Kyle! Thanks for making this experience fun and entertaining. I appreciate the kind words LOL. I hope you can find time to check out my side of the interview with you, and the things I learned about you while basically stalking you and your family HAHA. Good luck to you and wherever your journey takes you.