In
today’s increasingly connected online world, one’s social identity is
inevitable connected to what a person shares, establishes and interacts with on
the internet (“Online identity”, 2010). Furthermore, a person’s online identity
also becomes associated with any information that is shared by others that
pertains to the individual. The result is a collection of photos, webpages,
profiles and more that encompasses who you are on the internet.
In
an effort to discover the challenges and options for managing one’s identity
online, I did what many do when given the opportunity (and out of curiosity); I
googled myself. I admit, I wasn’t expecting to see much as I consider myself conscientious
about what I post and share online. The search results were limited but with a
few surprises.
The
first result was my LinkedIn page. I consider this an acceptable return as it
is a public page that I have created to showcase my credentials and work
experience to potential employers and current colleagues. I also find LinkedIn
to be a practical way to network online. (The photo associated with this
account was the only result under Images.) The second result was the most
surprising – it was an outdated RSVP webpage to my wedding! The webpage
showcases the date and time we were married, where we were married and a photo
of my now husband and I. This pages was surprising because our wedding has long
since passed and yet the webpage remains. The next two results were Facebook
profile lists which included any Julia’s, Juliann’s or Julianne Wildschuts in
the results – my profile was present under one of the lists but showed little
of my account save my profile photo. The final results that were accurate to my
online activity was three Facebook webpages I had liked: my in-law’s family
business page, a photography page, and an annual local event page for the city
where I live. Oddly enough, my results also had a link to my cousin’s newborn
photos of their first son –apparently I had commented on this page back in
2013. Search results under my nicknames and maiden name returned no results.
Based
on these results, I have a few stratagems for “cleaning up” my online identity
and ensuring that my personal information is secure. Firstly, the search
results that returned webpages that I have rated and/or liked reminded me to be
vigilant about what I divulged online concerning my interests and shopping
habits. I am taking account of any Facebook pages or Instagram/Pinterest
accounts that may shape what kinds of ads, accounts or pages target me based on
my “interests” online profile. The Internet Society refers to this as creating
or shaping your “partial identity” – any avenue online where information about
you is accumulated. It’s important that I link to appropriate and realistic information
(that relates to who I am) in order to establish a healthy and accurate online
identity. This requires that my browsing, liking, commenting behaviour is done
in a conscientious way.
Any
article, photo, post that I comment on should be responded to in a respectful
manner and in a way that best reflects my personality. This is a strategy that
I already believe I exercise in an unlaboured and natural manner online;
however it’s always beneficial to be intentional when one responds to others,
in person or not.
Any
events pages (such as my wedding RSVP – but also Facebook events for
fundraisers, parties, etc.) should be disabled once the event has passed. This
will ensure that outdated or irrelevant information isn’t unnecessarily returned
under my name. It may be a minor issue, but a good practice to put in place as
a way of consistently managing my online presence.
Finally,
protecting any password-accessed profiles is paramount to managing one’s online
identity. Routinely, one should check one’s social media privacy settings, use
complicated and different passwords for different accounts, assess one’s mobile
phone privacy settings, and keep a lookout for phishing schemes such as odd
emails or friend requests (Curtis, 2013). These basic protection strategies
ensures your online identity isn’t tampered with by someone other than yourself
and puts you in full control.
References
Curtis,
S. (2013, December 11). 10 ways to protect your online identity. Retrieved
December 02, 2016, from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/10509121/10-ways-to-protect-your-online-identity.html
Golbeck,
Ph.D., J. (2014, October 15). Why We Overshare Online. Retrieved December 02,
2016, from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-online-secrets/201410/why-we-overshare-online
Online
Identity Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from http://www.internetsociety.org/online-identity-overview
Protecting
Your Privacy. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from http://www.internetsociety.org/protecting-your-privacy
Protecting
Your Identity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2016, from http://www.internetsociety.org/protecting-your-identity
