THE

DIGITAL
SELF
"Social media is changing the way we
communicate and the way we are
perceived, both positively and
negatively. Every time you post a
photo, or update your status, you are
contributing to your own digital
footprint and personal brand."
Amy Jo Martin
 In this module, you will be able
to:

01 know and understand what is digital

footprint;

LEARNING
OBJECTIVES 02 learn how to enhance your social media
reputation by having a positive digital
footprint; and

03 share your social media experience and

the discuss the effects of social media
on your personal lives.
 In the world of social media,
perception is everything. We all have
an ideal self. We all wish to
exaggerate our careers, our
profession, and dream to be like those
who we find most successful. As the
Introduction: use of social media continues to
evolve; the concept of presenting our
ideal selves versus our real selves has
become more and more prevalent on
social media platforms such as
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+,
Pinterest, and even Linkedin.
 Research suggests that your "real self" is
what you are -your characteristics, your
attributes and your personality. Your "ideal
self" is what you feel you should be; much
of it due to and social influences. From a
societal standpoint, many of us are driven
by achievement, competition and status;
hence, the creation and portrayal of our
ideal selves.
 ● On social media sites, we consider our profiles to be
presentations of who we are. The real and ideal selves
Intersect through interaction with the social medium; and
the ideal self is at least partially actualized. In essence, our
online selves represent our ideals and eliminate many of
our other real components.

● Are we presenting a hyper-idealistic version of ourselves or

The different social media platforms being
used by people around the world
are we really presenting who we are or are? It has been
argued that the social media effect creates a false sense
of self and self-esteem through the use of fans, likes,
comments, posts, etc. For a lot of social media users, the
likes and fans is an esteem booster; that is one reason why
so many people spend so much time on social media.
01
DIGITAL NATIVES
AND DIGITAL
IMMIGRANTS
● Digital natives are those who were born after 1980, who
have access and skills to use digital technologies
especially social media. Digital natives lives most of their
lives online, without distinguishing between online and
offline. Digital natives are constantly connected. They have
plenty of friends, in real space and in the virtual world and a
growing collection of friends they keep in their social
network sites (Palfrey and Gasser, 2011).

● Students today are all "native speakers" of the digital

language of computers, video games and the Internet
(Prensky, 2001). Those people were born prior to 1980; who
were not born into the digital world but have, at some later
point in our lives, become amazed by and adopted many or
most aspects of the new technology are called Digital
Immigrants.
● They don't accept their students can learn successfully
while listening to music or watching TV, because the digital
immigrants can't. Digital Immigrant teachers think that
students or learners are the same as when they were
students and that similar teaching methods of their
teachers will work for their students now. (Prensky, 2001).
 DIGITAL
IDENTITY
• Digital identity has a number of different definitions in the
literature. It can refer to the usernames and digital footprint
that individuals choose and leave behind using the Internet for
different purposes such as banking or purchasing goods. For
others it represents the that a user assumes when involved in a
define environment, such as playing games.
• Digital identity is formed by personal profiles, cultural capital
and records-such as videos on YouTube. Paraphrasing the
famous quote by Rene Descartes ('I think therefore I am') by
creating a social media update, one may say: 'I am linked
therefore I am. From this we infer that digital identity is created
by interacting between individuals. The digital realm indeed LOGIN
gives us the power to 'determine how we are defined within the
socio-cultural sphere. While individuals are the product of their NEW ACCOUNT
unique personal biography they are not entirely free to choose
who they are because of social situations and interactions.
• Digital identity, particularly on social media is "a
conscious construction, it can evolve subconsciously
over a period of time, or it could simply be a reflection
of the user in real life." Consequently it may be inferred
that 'the selves we re-create on Facebook are inevitably
part us-re-creating ourselves in digital form - and, again
to one extent of another, part who we'd like to be - the
creation of something new, perhaps better, but
ultimately "other." They contend that the virtual self can
be at odds with reality and because of this, individuals
can see their digital selves as 'superficial, artificial or LOGIN

even fraudulent'. They go on to state that 'it is NEW ACCOUNT

worryingly difficult to find the person in among all the
digital artifice'. This is called self-regulated self-
presentation.
 DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

• Digital footprint or digital shadow refers to one's unique set

of traceable digital activities, actions, contributions and
communications that are manifested on the Internet or on
digital devices (Webopedia, 2017).
• Every search you make, website you visit, and photo you
upload adds to this digital trail. The evidence of your online
activity is called your digital footprint (Lindeen, 2017).
Today's children and adolescents are some of the heaviest
users of online tools and social media, these are our young
students, who are growing up as a Facebook and YouTube
generation. They are the visual learners and visual attention
seekers and the reality is that many teens are unconcerned
about the dangers of sharing personal information online.
 DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

• A surprisingly large percentage of people have never even

heard the phrase digital footprint, let alone thought about
how to manage theirs responsibly. Among students, the
percentage is probably higher. There are ways where we can
help you understand and manage your digital footprints
before you get in trouble. Simply put, a digital footprint is the
record or trail left by the things you do online. Your Facebook,
twitter and Instagram and other social media activity, the
information and content on your personal website, the
website that you've visited as reflected in your browsing
history, your online subscriptions, any photo galleries and
videos you've uploaded essentially, anything on the Internet
with your name on it.
• It is difficult, if not impossible, to exist in today's society without
leaving digital traces. Online click data, credit card transactions,
emails, and social media content such as status updates,
photos, and messages are all collected and maintained in a
wide variety of places, under the control of a wide variety of
entities, and stored for indefinite periods of time (Haimson,
2016).
• A positive digital footprint can enhance a person's reputation.
A favorable online profile showcasing a person's academic
achievements can serve as a virtual résumé of her or his life,
focusing the individual's drive, intellect, and personality. A
young person's academic digital footprint can include
presentations of educational interests such as photos of
winning the science fair; a YouTube video of participation in
extra curricular activities, like the scoring of a goal at the soccer
championship; or of volunteer work, like helping at a nursing
home. As technology advances and the Web expands, your
academic digital life and its digital tracks will grow, too, just like
y personal reputation.
Passive and Active Digital Footprint

Passive Active
Active digital footprints
A passive digital are created when
footprint is created when personal data is released
data is collected without deliberately by a user for
the owner knowing the purpose of sharing
information
Passive digital footprints can be stored in
many ways depending on the situation In an
online environment a footprint may be
stored in an online data base as a "hit." This
footprint may track the user IP address,
when it was created, and where they came
from; with the footprint later being analyzed.
In an offline environment, footprint may be
stored in files, which can be accessed by
administrators to view the actions
performed on the machine, without being
able to see who performed them (Madden,
Fox, Smith, & Vitak, 2007).
 Active digital footprints can also be stored in
many ways depending on the situation. In an
online environment, a footprint can be stored
by a user being logged into a site when making
a post or change, with the registered name
being connected to the edit. In an off line
environment a footprint may be stored in files,
when the owner of the computer uses a
keylogger, so logs can show the actions
performed on the machine, and who
USERNAME
performed them. One of the features of
keylogger is to monitor the clipboard for any
PASSWORD changes. This may be problematic as the user
may copy passwords or take screenshots of
LOGIN
sensitive information which will then be logged
(Madden, Fox, Smith, & Vitak, 2007).
 Impression Management
Impression management is a conscious or subconscious
process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of
other people about themselves, another person, object or event.
It is done by regulating and controlling information in social
interaction. It was first conceptualized by Erving Goffman a WEAKNESSES
Canadian-American sociologist and writer in 1959, and this was
expanded upon in 1967. An example of impression
management theory in play is in sports such as basketball. At
an important game, a player would want to showcase
themselves in the best light possible, because there are sports
recruiters watching. This person would try and perform their
best to show off their skills. Their main goal may be to impress
the recruiters in a way that maximizes their chances of being
chosen for a college team rather than winning the game. The
same concept is true in digital creation and presentation of the
self.
 Understanding
and Creating the
Digital Self
• The last 15 years have been an age of vast creation of different technologies
and platforms in which the self has been projected. The introduction of the
World Wide Web led to greater connectivity with people and information, and
people with other people anywhere in the world. Emailing and chatrooms led to
the real time communication of people, even if they have not met before. The
social media revolution that started with platforms such as Friendster,
Myspace, and which is currently dominated by Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram has connected people in so many ways that was beyond the
imagination years before.

• All of these technologies led to the creation of an extension of the self in the
digital world. The question that begs to be asked in the moment is: how do
people create and recreate themselves through such engagement with
impression management and self- expression on social media?
• People, especially the young, follow and connect with people who can be their
role models or give them inspiration on social media. They create a collection
of those people or celebrities on Twitter or Facebook. In the process, they leave
behind a vast digital footprint.
Implications of
the Creation of
Digital Self
• In an article published in 2012 in Forbes Magazine, it was
posited that women are now more active than men across
major social media platforms such as Twitter, Pinterest and
Facebook and have a stronger attachment to social
networking than do men. This led to the question if such
engagement leads to negative effects to their psyche.
Newsweek also recently featured mounting evidence that
intense Internet usage contributes to increased anxiety and
depression and even psychosis. These findings and
observations indicates that although the things posted on
social media, or the presented digital self, does not
necessarily show the real self of individual.
• The digital self, as presented in social media, also places
the people open to the voyeuristic gaze of others in
uncountable small-scale private performances that are
socially, mediated for public consumption on an often
large scale. In this new social media reality the public not
only follows crime and justice, but participates and adds
their own performances, the most noticeable being
performance crimes.

• In an article posted in the catholicworldreport.com, a

website dedicated for the online dissemination of news, it
was reported that even a high ranking bishop was a
victim of identity theft. The fake account includes the
bishop in his vestments as a profile picture and him with
a group of nuns for the background image. This incident
shows the vulnerability of the digital self.
 Benefits of Social Media Usage
• Facebook and Twitter differ from traditional web
applications as pages are easy to create and edit; are easily
accessible; promote and support mobility; have real time
communication and are free or cost effective. These
benefits encourage the increasing adoption of these
applications.

• Sakaki, Okazaki, and Matsuo (2010) have investigated the

Twitter posts related to earthquakes, which through an
algorithm enabled detection of earthquakes promptly,
simply by observing the posts.

• From this discussion we can see that the ease of use and
accessibility are key reasons why people use social media.
This is facilitated by the mobility of the technology and
therefore the advantages of real time data and availability
are emphasized. But with these benefits come problems
and issues around the ease of access such as reliability of
data.
 Digital Over Physical
• A digital identity has the potential to live forever where in
the physical world we are faced with death. Traditionally
genetic codes are passed on to offspring and offer a family
history that lives forever, or through a lineage. An online
identity is remembered for how it interacted in a particular
time in a digital environment. The difference is an online
identity may remain dormant for decades and still have the
potential to influence, inspire, and generate new concepts or
thoughts. This tends not to happen decades after the death
of a person in the physical world. Facebook has a helpful
guide as part of their support features that discusses the
various components to a memorialized Facebook account.
A legacy account member can be appointed and decisions
made about what should happen to a Facebook profile by a
user before they actually pass away.
• As digital identities continue to integrate with our physical lives, and through advancements in human
computer synthesis, humanity will be faced with interesting questions about the definition being human. The
difference between humans and machines will become harder to distinguish, since a user of a digital profile
could become emotionally connected to a virtual environment.

• Interactions on social media platforms are becoming ubiquitous with smartphones. As this device has
become the object that stays close to the physical self all day and night, it should be considered through the
lens of the Uncanny Valley. The first and most apparent aspect of humanness is in appearance. It can mean
just the body, just the face, or just the eyes. It can vary from vaguely human to indistinguishable from human."
Smartphones are the portals for our physical selves and our digital selves to interact, and have been designed
in ways that are similar to how human interactions occur in the physical world.

• As technologies and artificial intelligence continue to develop, it is important to remember the psychological
impacts humans experience when something attempts to imitate human life or behavior. Three quarters (75%)
of teens and 93% of adults ages 18 to 29 now have a cell phone. In the past five years, cell phone ownership
has become mainstream among even the youngest teens. Fully 58% of 12 year olds now own a cell phone. It
is critical to analyze the impact a digital identity, in a digital community, has on a developing mind in the
physical world (Haimson, 2016).
 How to
Manage
Social Media
Profiles
 Here are some ways you can make sure your social media profiles are a network and not
hurting your future.

• Follow that college account and that business account you found in the helping you

• scavenger hunt. Seeing their posts will inspire you to follow through on your
VENUS MERCURY MARS
• goals and get you familiar with what is going on at that campus or in that industry. Use social media to
reach out to organizations that may help you achieve your

• college and career pathway goals.

• Interact more with the people you identified who are supportive of your goals,

• and spend time with them in person. Social media can help you network, but

• make sure it's not the way you interact with your supporters, Try to keep everything you share on social
media clean and professional, and keep your publicly shared content minimal.

• Always be kind!
 Steps to
creating
positive digital
footprint
 1. "Google
yourself"
If anything comes up in your
Google search that you
wouldn't want anybody to see,
remove it as soon as possible.
This is beneficial for
employment, since
prospective employers check
potential employee how they
project themselves to the
world using Twitter, Facebook
and Pinterest, Instagram etc.
2. Use 3. Take charge
Facebook of your photos
wisely Activate tag review setting
so you don't get tagged in
any photos or posts
Check your privacy setting
and make sure you know without you being there to
how others view your monitor and approve it.
timeline. Don't post nude
pictures or pictures of you
drinking and be aware of
photos you're tagged in. Keep
photos appropriate and
refrain from posting any
drunken selfies.
 6. Use
4. Don't 5. Monitor
secondary email
overshare linking accounts
It can be useful to have a
When you link your Facebook secondary email address,
Avoid digital footprint whether your
or Twitter account to that new
trouble by keeping quiet communicating with
site (you may not realize or
about anything they someone new or signing
care at the moment what your
wouldn't want to share up for a new social media
giving it access to. It's
with everyone in town. This platform. Creating
usuallyWhen you link your
includes usernames, separate account so you
Facebook or Twitter account
pictures, addresses, and can consistently remain
to that new site (you may not
other important positive in public online
realize or care at the moment
information. Keep a list of spaces.
what your giving it access to.
accounts
It's usually
then delete the ones you no
longer use.
 7. Think
before you
click
Consider the old adage, "open mouth, insert foot," often used to refer to saying something before
thinking about what you are saying. Since communicating electronically is a fast way to send a
message, we can find ourselves hit-ting "send" without considering if the message sent will be the
message received. Moreover, since nonverbal elements are lost when we communicate textually
(remember that the majority of the messages we send daily are conveyed in nonverbal terms), a text
message or e-mail, for example, that is meant to be humorous can easily be misinterpreted by the
receiver. Every time you send a message, post or picture, your publishing it at the same way CNN
does every news story (Smith & Tague-Busler, 2012).

Educators and parents do see, read and hear about your online escapades, even though you go to
great lengths to hide them. As educators, tumbling upon student's twitter or Facebook which include
foul language, cyber bullying, and basic immaturity, have only reinforced that digital citizenship
needs to be taught in our school as early as possible.

Create a profile that says simple, non-specific details about yourself, but that is still identifiably you.
It is important that you learn from others; find teenagers, professionals who are doing things the
right way and model your online presence in a similar manner. The Golden Rule applied more than to
how you speak others online. Treat others as you would like to be treated. If you do not have
anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. You can't truly delete when you send.
 THANKS!
Do you have any questions?

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