How often do you post on social media? How often do you share embarrassing moments? Have you thought that once on the internet – forever on the internet? If the answer to all these questions is “No”, then the next few lines could be helpful to you. Or they will simply make you rethink your digital presence.
Today there are rarely young people without smartphone connected to the internet. The more you use internet, the bigger digital trace you leave. Most people already know that when you upload something to the web it is rarely confidential. But few people have actually thought about how would this affect their life.
Years ago the mass media burst with news about how the government has access to all our digital information. Despite the rumour, the existence of mass digital tracking software has not been officially confirmed. Yet it made people think that may be internet communication is no longer highly confidential.
1. Your current and future employers check your digital presence
There are cases when people have lost their jobs, because of something they said on social media. Some employers make sure their employees have the same values as the company and monitor this strictly even in their employees social media accounts.
Before hiring you, future employer and HR managers of middle and big companies like to research your digital presence.
Profiles, pictures, statuses in social networks.
What results do search engines show about you. Whether you…
- …are in a good/bad story public by a media.
- … have a personal web site/blog.
- … are on any lists (political party lists, school competition results list, charity members lists etc.);
- … have uploaded videos on YouTube, Vimeo etc. And what content do these videos share.
- … own a portfolio that matches your CV or whether you have any official published science articles.
- And many other things.
2. Companies use your information to manipulate you to buy more
Many of the companies use your digital trace to get to know you better. They gather statistical information about what products you prefer and how much do you spend. That way they can offer you more products that you like and trick you into buying more.
Here are a few examples:
- Your visits to all sites are tracked when you have signed in to your mail, and then the platform you use offers you ads from the sites you visit and / or sites with similar services / products.
- You sign up for a newsletter on a company’s website to find out the news about it first, but in addition to the news, the newsletter goes with advertisements for their or other people’s products.
- Once you have created an account in an online store, whether you bought something or just browse, the site keeps information about what you are interested in and in the ads on the side, top or bottom shows you how your product is bought quickly and should and You can order because the quantities are limited and if you do not act quickly, you will not be able to enjoy, for example, “This unique rubber glove-handle, which is available in only 10 pieces.”
- Many sites collect information about their visitors without the need for them to log in or register. This is called collecting cookies and the sites should ask your permission on your first visit to allow such information to be collected from you.
Conclusion
In fact, the Internet is set up in such a way that for the second aspect there is not much to do but decide when, from where and what you buy. But there is a lot you can do about the first aspect. Stop posting photos, statuses, and videos that put you in a bad light. Post more useful information. Express your opinion, but do not go to extremes. If you have a good work portfolio – publish and promote it.
There are many options to put yourself in a better light on the internet. One of them is to make a personal business card site that describes everything important that you want people to know about you and to promote it. (If you need help with this, contact us and we will assist you.) Another option is to maintain a personal blog where you share important information that you think would help other people. Or instead of a blog, publish this information on your profile on a social network. It is important to consider each time whether you want your next post to be read by all or only some people. If it is the latter, it is better for you not to publish it at all.
