The Digital Footprint

“The Industrial revolution of the twenty-first century in the wiring of the human intellect and the creation of a real-time network that fosters nonconformity and progress. We are building networks of prominence and with each node we add to our social and interest graph, we gain strength as individuals and eventually as a society” (Solis, 2011: 73)

The internet is a massive database of knowledge built up of billions of websites, users and tools that interact with each other continuously to create what can be called a digital culture. For the broad communities of people online, there are billions of different cultural and belief spaces available for individuals to pick and choose what to take part in. In the new age of media there is an emphasis on social networking sites as a way to express individuality through profiles, tags, pictures etc.

Leisure and communication sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Tumblr, Flickr or Photobucket are examples of digital media sites that have become amongst the most popular within global digital footprints. But perhaps the core example of all is Google, a search engine that has taken the new digital age by storm. As Woodward (2003) points out, identity is associated very closely with community, but there is also a need to distinguish ourselves as individuals (2003: 19-20).

So What is a Digital Footprint?

The digital footprint is the accumulation of internet history, data and every digital mark that has been left behind by an individual (Camenisch, Fischer-Hubner and Rannenberg, 2011: 91). The connection that can be made between these is a computer Internet Provider (IP) address and information systems which acts as a marker of an identity on the internet (2011: 91). Marking your individual identity online through tagging, images, videos, likes and dislikes allows one to shape their own identity and be potentially who they want to be.

“As technology advances, we strive to master the services and the trends of the moment to stay connected. The connected consumer is constantly evolving this network to stay relevant within these defining digital societies” (Solis, 2011: 73).

[Creating Your Digital Footprint]

References:

Camenisch, J. Fischer-Hubner, S. and Rannenberg, K. 2011. Privacy and Identity Management for Life, Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht: New York

Solis, B. 2011. The End of Business As Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution, John Wiley & Sons: New Jersey

Woodward, K. 2003. Social Sciences: The Big Issues, Routledge: New York