My Digital Tattoo

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 What is a Digital Tattoo?

You may have heard of the term "digital footprint". This term can be used similarly to "digital tattoo". These terms highlight the trail that is left behind online by its users. The use of the word tattoo in place of footprint is meant to emphasize the permanence of the mark people leave on the internet. While the use of technology may seem like second-nature at this point in society, the repercussions of this history  may not have been considered, especially to those who have grown up with this technology. Simple Google searches can bring up personal information, such as addresses, names of family members, and personal photos. Depending on the nature of the information, this may affect your professional image!



Growing Up Online

As someone who grew up with the internet, I have not always been conscious of the mark I would leave online. I think I was more focused on what cool flash game I could play on the web after school. It wasn't until late elementary school or middle school that I was introduced into the world of social media. The first platform I was ever apart of was Friendster, which was kind of like Myspace and Facebook mashed together (but that's from the memory of a child, so who actually knows). The intention of this was so that I could stay connected with my family that lives out of the country and show them my interests. The only thing I remember was my Twilight obsession running how I decorated my page.

After my time on that platform and the rise of Facebooks popularity, I was a bit more conscious about my online presence. Specifically, I knew that I shouldn't have an outlandish email since that would be a main form of communication in adulthood. I knew this from reading other people's experiences online, so I just copied the format my mom used (First initial + Last Name). In addition to this, I don't use my full name on social media unless I intend for it to have professional use. Since then I've been pretty mindful of my online presence. 

What's My Digital Tattoo?

To see what impression I've left on the internet I searched my name (Monica Jan Javate) on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. This was done using Safari, Firefox, and Chrome which yielded similar results per search engine. Furthering these searches I looked myself up on these websites:

  • True People Search
  • People Finder
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Namech_k
  • FamilyTreeNow
  • ClustrMaps
  • mylife

Photo Source: Google Screenshot

Out of the three search engines, Google had the most relevant searches with the top three results all were of me followed by images of people not associated with me. Going further down on the page pulled up results for my mother and a result for my uncle. Bing and Yahoo resulted in similar results where the top search was my LinkedIn account and the rest were of people with my first name and similar last name. This was the case when I searched my name with and without parenthesis too. 

Photo Source: TruePeopleSearch Screenshot
Photo Source: LinkedIn Screenshot


Clicking on the first search result brought me to my True People Search results. I was a little concerning that this much information is just on the web, but I do suppose its public knowledge. It came up with my name, age, birthday, and current address. It also has a phone number attached, but I have no idea where that came from since I still have my old phone number with a New York area code. When I scrolled down it came up with a list of family members and my marital status. Overall, I thought that this was way too much information on this single page.

The second link pulled up PeopeFinders which bought me to a property summary of my house. This had information on me, my parents, and the previous homeowners. The only comfort I had was that my siblings were not on the site. 

The third link brought me to my very barren LinkedIn account. Not much information on there, but it's definitely a reminder that I should finish setting up my profile.

Photo Source: Namech_k & mylife Screenshots

Facebook, mylife, and Namech_k were all anticlimactic with no results for my name. Facebook made sense since I haven't used my full name on there, only nicknames. For Namech_k I searched my full name and my usual usernames. I thought it was interesting that I did get one registered domain hit under my full name.

Thoughts?
Overall, I'm not surprised at what I was able to find. It was basically just the public information that was easy to find. I like that it's difficult to find my personal information, which has pretty much always been my goal. Since I started my internet presence very young, I think it is vital that kids are taught internet safety and about their potential digital tattoo. The parents should be the first to introduce this topic, because I feel like kids aren't going to be doing too much harm online at school. I do think that teachers should also reenforce this topic once they start using technology for class.




Comments

  1. ElizabethOctober 7, 2024 at 9:27 PM

    Monica, I loved reading your post. I feel like you felt like your privacy was invaded when you say all this stuff online about you. True People Search did have a lot of information, I think some data can get in the wrong hands and create a problem. But just as they watch us we remain vigiliant and watch them. Keeping track of accounts and credit help me feel more at ease. Lisa and I had similar feeling about what we saw online about ourselves, unimpressed. Next time we should search up each other, it might be more interesting. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. OBOUBE October 8, 2024 at 4:43 AM

    Monica: Thank you for a clear explanation of the concept of digital tattoo and its consequences on a generation that grew up in the digital world. Being from an older generation, it always enlightening to me. I agree that "parents should the first to introduce the topic" so that children may understand the possible negative repercussions caused by their digital tattoos. Thank you for your post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kelly BarkerOctober 11, 2024 at 5:23 PM

    Hi, Monica! Thank you for your post. I enjoyed your insights about your digital tattoo and especially appreciated your thoughts on kids and internet safety. I agree with you that the owness should be mostly on parents to teach their children about internet safety and digital tattoos. While we have digital citizenship curriculum and lessons we can use with our students, we are only with our students for a period of their day and not responsible for their actions outside of school!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Emily WolkenOctober 11, 2024 at 8:05 PM

    Hi Monica,

    I wish, wish, wish parents would teach their children about Internet safety. Teachers have so much to do already. I can't imagine growing up with technology. I got my first cell phone in college but I could only use it at night and on weekends, #freeminutes! It's overwhelming what these kids do and see on the without parental instruction. Thank you for you post!

    -Emily Wolken

    ReplyDelete
  5. Emma BOctober 12, 2024 at 10:29 AM

    Hi Monica,
    It seems like we had very similar experiences with online safety training. I am the same age and didn't start using social media quite as young but am so glad I had the foresight to delete my Facebook account. I also used nicknames or slightly misspelled my name so it would be hard to find me when I was not intending to create a professional web presence. I think our parents both did a good job in teaching us how to be safe online. I also hope this is something kids are being taught today.

    ReplyDelete

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