My Online Footprint

Social Media and Online Presence

My online footprint extends into pretty much all social media platforms that are available at this present time. Regarding my internet presence, I have an Adobe portfolio website that highlights my academic achievements and skills. I also shop a lot online through Amazon, Google and other apps. From my personal to professional life, I use these different channels in unique ways to share my story, connect with others and brand my business. Each account serves a purpose whether it be promoting my artwork for my business or posting about my best friend's graduation from HPU.

Puzzle Pieces of Information

While I was reviewing my activity and posts on these social media sites, I realized that each post contained either visual + verbal cues revealing direct or indirect pieces of personal information. Backgrounds of pictures, location geo-tags, caption and followers --you name it!-- all play a role. These puzzle pieces of information are like hints or footprints guiding people to map out my personal life. While the post itself is voluntary, there are subtle cues that could provide a follower information that I didn't anticipate sharing such as my location. Regarding online shopping and Google profiles, these companies have my credit card information, address and phone number all saved in their data banks. Voluntarily, I gave these companies my information to make purchasing online more efficient and quick. 

Social Media and Loneliness

In today's world, there is a sense that most people want to feel known and valued. After reading Marche's article about the link between loneliness and social media usage on The Atlantic, I felt that I could personally relate. Marche notes that there is an "accelerating contradiction: the more connected we become, the lonelier we are." The more we share and connect, the more we hide from each other as a result of insecurity and comparison. How can that be? It seems we have replaced true, life-giving human interactions with instant messaging and determine who are our  friends are by the number of followers we have. Social media shouldn't be a gauge for our relationships or success in life. 

My Relationship with Technology

I find that when I am taking a break from social media, I am most happy. I don't think about what other people are doing, I just focus on myself and my close relationships. Also, any interaction that goes on between you and your family or friends stays private. Parents can easily post embarrassing photos of you on the internet that will last your entire life, but conversations aren't public for the whole world to hear. 

I think that I have an unhealthy relationship with my Instagram account, Facebook and Tik Tok account because I tend to feel isolated through comparison to others. These platforms are known for people sharing only the best parts their life which sets misleading standards. As a result, we get incomplete stories about people that we take as truth making us feel inferior. Mindlessly scrolling through our feed we start to believe that we need to "catch up with" people we follow and compete to attain a better, fruitful life. 

On the other hand, I feel that LinkedIn has been very beneficial for me. While sometimes I do face comparison to all the other successful connections I have, I am able to use it as an educational resource for company news and job opportunities. 

In this infographic, I outline all the social media platforms I am active on, what information could be gleaned from my posts and the risks.

Social Media Usage Rankings

1.     Instagram – used daily 

2.  Snapchat - used daily 

3.     Facebook – used frequently (my account is connected to my Instagram)

4.     Tik Tok – rarely used

5.     Twitter – unactive account

6.     YouTube – have an active channel

7.     LinkedIn – used for educational purposes

References:

1. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/

2. https://www.fastcompany.com/90315706/kids-parents-social-media-sharing

3. http://medlawlit.blogspot.com/p/final-post-prompt.html