12 years ago
What Happens to Our Online Identity?
Sunday, October 9, 2011
There are many online resources available to aid teachers in teaching about digital media. While working on Youth Identity and the Internet I came across the following video, from a 2010 Summer School held at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society. It depicts a young person called Molly when she first started using the Internet as a teenager, and the types of information she uploaded to the Internet. Years go by and Molly grows older and matures and wants to change her profile online. The bottom line is the original information Molly put out there when she was a teenager is still a part of her online identity. It will never go away! Have a watch!
Re: Born Digital, in Video: Identities
This short video is simple and straight to the point about what becomes of the information we upload to the Internet. I think the clip is a great discussion topic and it gives something for students to think about.
As an educator, the topic of Identity and the Internet needs to be addressed at the beginning of each teaching year to reinforce the idea of being safe while working online. YouTube is a popular form of Web 2.0 media and easy to use in a classroom. Using a YouTube video to teach young people about issues, helps to reinforce the message or key point and it is a way of encouraging students to reflect and be creative to come up with new ideas (Duffy, 2008).
References
Berkman Center for Internet and Society. (2010). Re: Born Digital, in Video: Identities [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvrbgKDEii0
Duffy, P. (2008). Engaging the YouTube Google-Eyed Generation: Strategies for Using Web 2.0 in Teaching and Learning. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 6(2), 11-30. Retrieved from www.ejel.org/issue/download.html?idArticle=64
As an educator, the topic of Identity and the Internet needs to be addressed at the beginning of each teaching year to reinforce the idea of being safe while working online. YouTube is a popular form of Web 2.0 media and easy to use in a classroom. Using a YouTube video to teach young people about issues, helps to reinforce the message or key point and it is a way of encouraging students to reflect and be creative to come up with new ideas (Duffy, 2008).
References
Berkman Center for Internet and Society. (2010). Re: Born Digital, in Video: Identities [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvrbgKDEii0
Duffy, P. (2008). Engaging the YouTube Google-Eyed Generation: Strategies for Using Web 2.0 in Teaching and Learning. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 6(2), 11-30. Retrieved from www.ejel.org/issue/download.html?idArticle=64
This clip was a great find!! I don’t know how many times I have had the conversation about the perils of putting personal information online with my two teenage stepsons, only to find my home address published for the world to see on their Facebook profiles, or more recently, noticing that they are “Liking” “less than savoury” Facebook pages with content clearly beyond their tender years!!! Until identity theft or some other unfortunate incident happens that directly effects teenagers, I think they experience a certain sense of false safety about sharing their identity online. Maybe it is a sense of separation because the online world is not a tangible thing to them? Maybe bad things only happen to other people because it hasn’t yet happened to anyone in their circle of friends? Maybe because they are so ego-centric at this age they don’t think beyond the moment??
Just asked the kids to view the clip. Both commented they had seen similar, and that it made them consider “a bit” about what they share of themselves. Then I shared my theory on false sense of security with the one in year 11, and he said it was spot on, that there is a feeling of distance with his online identity, and that he is a “normal kid” so “bad things” like identity theft or account hacking or repercussions from sharing things in his youth coming back to haunt him in later life wouldn’t happen to a kid like him!!!
This YouTube clip is a great resource, and the language in it is such that it is relevant and appropriate for young people of primary school age and above. I believe as educators and parents we need to CONTINUALLY REITERATE the perils of being an active participant in ANY community, online or otherwise.
Great video! I don’t think many young people realise how permanent the Internet is. Once you put something out there it will follow you around unless it’s permanently deleted and that can be tricky at the best of times. Even a simple Google search can bring up photos or information about a person if their identity isn’t properly protected.
I know a few of my friends have deleted their facebook pages before going for job interviews. It seems like a common practice for prospective employers to ‘look you up’ so they can see who you are, your interests, the kind of activities you are interested in and any photos you have been tagged in. Which can be detrimental if you have an ‘interesting’ lifestyle. You’re online identity, past and present, is out there for everyone to see.
And if you decide to allow everyone to see you’re profile things like this can happen (excuse the bad language)…
http://8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/fbfired.jpg
Of course most Web2.0 sites now have privacy settings which allows users to restrict the sharing of their personal information if they choose. Although if, like Molly, you’re ready to delete your past online identities from when you were a 15 yr old myspace user here is a helpful article that guides you through how to permanently delete online profiles.
How to Permanently Delete your Account on Popular Websites.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/11/how-to-permanently-delete-your-account-on-popular-websites/