Here are some impactful quotes that he shared:

• “Twitter took control of her life and dismantled it piece by piece”
• “”We are defined more by our minor misdemeanors than our major accomplishments.”
• “We are so defined by our Googleability.”
• “We want to hurt people and not feel bad about it.”
• “One of the punishments of losing your reputation is that people won’t believe you if you tell them the truth.”

Justine Sacco’s life was turned upside down by just one inappropriate joke. Although what she said wasn’t okay, the reaction was way too harsh. She said: “Living in Africa puts us in a bit of a bubble when it comes to what is going on in the Third World. I was making fun of that bubble.” People made cruel comments like “last tweet of your career” with the hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet, and it got even worse. It hurt me inside to see people lacking empathy, almost enjoying how her life was being ruined. Why can’t we just be kinder to each other? After watching this video, I felt genuinely sorry for Justine and I felt that she deserved public sympathy and a chance to rebuild her life.

Jon Ronson also wrote a book called “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed,”  which points out that the main victim of Justine Sacco’s tweet was herself. While her tweet offended many and went viral, it didn’t directly harm anyone else. She faced intense humiliation, depression, and ongoing anxiety as a result. Her mistake continues to haunt her online. Jon Ronson not only talks to people who’ve been publicly shamed, like Justine Sacco, but he also digs into why it happens. He looks at how Google makes reputations stick and talks to people who help repair the damage caused by online scandals.

Digital footprint is like a trail in the digital world, showing who we are. It’s not just about what you post, but it’s the breadcrumbs and the silent traces that we leave behind. This article talks about how important it is to protect your digital footprint and how to delete it. Personally, I believe that we have the right to have elements of our digital footprint to be forgotten. The right to be forgotten is essentially about having control over what stays online about yourself. It lets you ask for old or irrelevant information to be taken down from the internet, which is crucial for personal privacy, especially as we all grow over time. I think tech companies have a big say in this because they decide how long information stays online and how easy it is to find. Policies that support the right to be forgotten can help protect us from the long-term consequences of one-time mistakes

As I learned more about digital footprint, I found out that it comes in two types: passive and active. A passive digital footprint is unintentional, like data websites gather about your browsing habits. In contrast, an active digital footprint is created intentionally, such as when you post on social media, comment on blogs, or send emails. Understanding both types showed me how important it is to teach students about the consequences of their online actions—both negative and positive. A negative footprint can cause problems, but a positive one can really benefit a student’s future. It’s crucial for students to understand the full impact of their online presence. During a quick Google search, I found tools designed to track your digital footprint, like Saymine. Although I haven’t tried it myself, it seems useful for understanding your online presence. It might even be a valuable teaching tool for students to assess their own online presence.