Online Presence

What is online presence? Online presence is any existence of an individual or business that can be found via an online search. An example of an individual who is not active on the Internet but who has a online presence is one who is a member of an association that has a member directory listing online.

I recently read the article "I am 14 and Quit Social Media" the article was very interesting. It made me think of my digital footprint much like she did. The girl became aware of the dangers of social media and they effect it can play on your life, if you are not mindful. I started to digest my own signal footprint and ask myself some hard questions. 

How large an online footprint do you have? If were being very honest I would say my signal footprint is large. I love social media, I like to post to keep up with celebrities and also my friends. I also need some dignal aspects, a far as Instagram, SnapChat and Twitter I do not need but I use several other outlets for school. I spend a lot of time on my computer whether it is backboard or watching videos so an assignment, I can not live in college without my computer. I do not have a personal website but I several forms of social media via apps.

Which social media sites do you use?I use Instagram the most, I love seeing what others are up to. I also have SnapChat, Twitter, Facebook and my newest addiction TikTok. I can accidentally spend an hour on TikTok and not even realize it, which defiantly contributes to my digital footprint the most. I most post about what I am up to as well, often photos that I think I look good in. I am not someone that obsess over likes, so that is something that decreases my footprint. I do not feel the constant need to check on likes. What information about you could a visitor glean about you, even indirectly, by visiting your pages on social media? My followers can see what city I live, what college I attend and how old I am, that is all information that is typed out. Information they can gather from my social media is that I run Track and Field and HPU, I am in a relationship, who my friends are and sometimes I will tag the location I was at. I have never given out my phone number, email and address so that makes me feel a bit safer while using social media. 

Some people say that social media can isolate you or even depress a person. For me personally I love social media, I think it is fun and entertaining. I love staying in touch with long distant family and friends through social media. I believe that any form of social media is good thing and a bad thing. I think it can be dangerous for our younger generation. I did not get social media until age 14 and I think that was an appropriate age, there are some children on social media at age 10 and I believe they are not at the maturity level get to handle have social media. 

Social media can give a false image, that can effect younger and more influenced user. I will admit I try my hardest to look beautiful on my forms of social media but I do not get discourage when I see someone prettier or skinner on social media. But some people are deeply effected by images, they think the only way to get likes is to dress in a bathing suit or to be 90lbs. with lots of make-up on. This can defiantly isolate and depress people and also give a since of false advertisement. Social media is full of photo shop and enhancement and it hard to spot what real and what not.

I think that the 14 year old girl was smart to get rid of her social media, this way she won't have as large of an opportunity to struggle with self image and originality. I wish that I had been more aware when I started out on social media. I feel I am slightly addicted and I am working on that in the future, because like I states social media can be a very good and bad thing for our society.