The term digital identity is somewhat unfamiliar to me, however, in school I was taught the term digital footprint. Both of which encompass ones online presence, past and present. It was emphasized of how important digital identity was to keep us safe online because once it’s out there, it can never truly go away. Every profile, post, and password is apart of your digital identity that you want to keep safe and protected.
Social media is an excellent tool for networking with others and getting your name out there. It can also be used against you if the wrong people get ahold of your passwords or photoshop your photos out of context. My personal social media presence has decreased since graduating high school, and I have become more cognizant of the content I am posting. Currently my social media highlights my travels and interesting things I have seen or done, making my posts very few and far between. In addition to posting very minimally, I ensure all my accounts are private and I have to accept or deny peoples request’s to follow me. This makes me feel safer online as I am in control of who sees my profile and posts first hand and no one I don’t know can be let into my personal life.
On my private social media accounts I can have more fun with my posts and share a picture of the sunset or my friends out to dinner without too much care. However on my professional social media accounts, I ensure I am presenting myself as I would in a job setting. Meaning I want to come off as professional and would instead reply on threads about an article I found interesting, or comment on a peers successes. My professional social media is about expanding my network, whereas my private social media allows me to connect with my friends and showcase my personality. Below is a list from an article by Lenna Garibian distinguishes the “Top 5 drivers for Personal and Professional Networks” which is a good visual representation of how I feel about the usage of personal and professional networks. I have attached the link to the article below as well as it is a quick read but takes into account statistics from people in a poll.
To maintain my professional presence online, I ensure I am consistent in using my full name as my handle so that it is easily recognizable. I would also like to start using a professional photo but have not had the opportunity to have one taken. I think having a professional photo shows that you have put in the time to look professional and presentable online and gives you a leg up in the job market. My language for a professional post would also differ quite a bit from a personal post, making sure I am not using slang or abbreviations.
I think that personal digital identity can complement a professional profile in a way that shows your interests and provides a better overview about you prior to a potential interview. Job’s are not just about being the best at it, a company wants to ensure its employees are pleasant people who can collaborate on projects and deals together. Showing some of your personality online can highlight characteristics that cannot be taught and are applicable to specific jobs.
An example of how my personal and professional online presence has complemented each other was not my doing but one of my employers. I used to work at a small business that taught people how to do water sports and all the coaches had a little ‘About Me’ section which intertwined our personalities as people but professional skills and specialities as coach’s. It showcased my highlights as an individual apart from the company, and as an employee.
Going forward, I would like to be more active on my professional social medias to build my network and learn about different career paths that may interest me from professionals. I will still remain as a private account to protect myself, but I would like to look into adding multi-factor authentication just to be safe. I believe networking is one of the greatest ways to gain insight and knowledge and would like to enhance my professional presence online to expand my network.
rosefarkhondeh
Hi Mackenzie! I agree with everything you said here! I also navigate in a similar way in terms of my online presence. When I was younger, I posted much more, but since high school I have also scaled down on my social media presence by making a private account and posting less.
I agree with the piece about having a professional headshot as your profile image, specifically because having a professional photo taken promotes the idea that it is a business account right off the bat. Making an effort to keep the same username throughout different platforms is also a great idea, but it does put more strain on what you post across all platforms, since it will all be tied to one identity.
Thanks for sharing!