When I look at people’s tattoos on their bodies I am often wondering why they chose what they chose. Afterall, this body inking is PERMANENT…FOREVER! I do not have any tattoos for exactly this reason. IF I were to get a tattoo, it would need to be something that I both love today as well as when I’m 80. Plus, the chances of any tattoo that I were to get today still looking good when I’m 80 are pretty slim. So…no tattoo for me!
So when I think about digital tattoos, I find that I have a similar feeling as I do about body tattoos. I had always used the term digital footprint, but the term digital tattoo really highlights the permanency of the digital world. The permanency of everything in the digital world is a bit creepy to me. I am always warning my own children about this ~ “Be careful what you say or post because it will NEVER go away.” But I’ve also realized that I have given these same children a digital tattoo long before they entered the digital world themselves ~ thanks to Facebook. While I try to be careful to not use their names or the names of their schools, etc., it does happen. I think it is time to go back and recheck my privacy settings!
After doing some digital mining of our instructor’s friend in our tech class , I decided to do some digital mining on myself. Of course, I knew I would probably find some personal information and even legal documents. I simply did a Google search of my name as well as searched several sites including Spokeo, Pipl, and Peekyou. I guess I really didn’t find anything that surprised me, but seeing it all on the screen, so easily accessible, was still a bit alarming. As much as I try to be careful with what I post on social media, it is SO easy for anyone to find where I live, what I do, and learn my relatives'
 |
| This image is from Spokeo and shows the home in which I grew up. |
The idea of digital tattoos is vitally important for everyone ~ teachers, parents, and students, to learn about and fully appreciate. Living in the digital world has many great advantages, but also comes with great responsibility.
It's good to be cautious and to advise your children but it isn't something that is going to go away- digital is here to stay! Remember, it's not all negative- there is a lot of good that can come from a digital tattoo.
ReplyDelete