Imagine you are walking through a forest, like Hansel and Gretel from the classic fairy tale, leaving breadcrumbs behind to find your way back home. But what if these breadcrumbs were not just for you? What if they were left for anyone to follow, marking not just where you have been, but also who you are? In today’s digital world, every click, every post, and every scroll leaves behind a digital footprint – breadcrumbs that can be traced and used in ways we may not expect.
Much like in the fairy tale, our digital footprints are small, seemingly insignificant at first, but they accumulate and create a pathway that others – be it advertisers, potential employers, or even cybercriminals – can follow. So, what do internet service providers actually know about us just from online existence?
Every time we engage online, whether it is through social media, making a purchase, or simply browsing, we are leaving a trail. This trail is made up of active and passive footprints. Active footprints are deliberate, like when we post a picture or update our profile. Passive footprints, on the other hand, are left behind without us even noticing – like location data or our browsing history.
The impact of these footprints is substantial. If we let them, digital actions allow third parties to build a profile of us, often with surprising accuracy. Think of it as a virtual documentation system – one that can be accessed by marketers and companies but also shady strangers.
In the game DigiCity, players are confronted with these realities as they navigate scenarios where their actions, like oversharing or neglecting privacy, have direct consequences. Just as in real life, these in-game decisions ripple out, affecting reputation, opportunities, and even personal security.
The Consequences: A Path You Can Not Erase
In DigiCity, when players make careless choices about their digital footprints, they soon find out that these choices come back to haunt them. Whether it is an innocent comment that spirals out of control or personal data shared too freely, the consequences are felt in very real ways.
- Personal Consequences: picture it like this: your digital footprint is like your tattoo. Once it’s there, it’s incredibly hard to remove. Just as a thoughtless tweet or an embarrassing photo might seem harmless at the time, these digital breadcrumbs can resurface years later. This kind of online behaviour can lead to emotional distress, reputational damage, or even harassment. In DigiCity, players experience how a misstep can lead to social exclusion or a loss of trust – echoing real-life scenarios where something posted in haste leads to long-term personal repercussions.
- Professional Consequences: Our online presence becomes our business card; employers and schools are increasingly scrutinizing candidates’ digital footprints. Employers commonly use digital footprints to evaluate personal and professional qualities, making it essential to curate a responsible and respectable online persona. In the game, players who fail to manage their digital profiles may find doors closing on them — an experience that mirrors real-life job rejections or missed opportunities due to questionable online behaviour.
Conclusion
Every move we make online leaves a mark, a breadcrumb that builds a story about who we are; thus, it shapes our online identity. But here is the twist: we are not the only one following that trail. From advertisers to potential employers — and even cybercriminals — our digital footprint is out there for all to see. The good news? We have the power to take control before our past online activity come back to haunt us!
Stay tuned, next month our blog will dive deeper into this topic, and we will provide you practical steps for controlling these digital breadcrumbs. You will learn how to reclaim your online presence and guide your future steps with confidence. Follow the DigiCity project’s updates as we develop game-based education on digital citizenship to empower European youngsters. Stay connected for more insights and progress at our webpage!
References:
- Acquisti, A., Brandimarte, L., & Loewenstein, G. (2015). Privacy and human behavior in the age of information. Science, 347(6221), 509-514.
- Solove, D. J. (2007). The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet. Yale University Press.
- Berkelaar, B. L. (2014). Cybervetting, online information, and personnel selection: New transparency expectations and the emergence of a digital social contract. Management Communication Quarterly, 28(4), 479-506.
- Debatin, B., Lovejoy, J. P., Horn, A. K., & Hughes, B. N. (2009). Facebook and online privacy: Attitudes, behaviors, and unintended consequences. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 15(1), 83-108.
