What is digital identity?
Digital identity is essentially your presence online, it is your footprint on the web. Digital identity is the representation of you, with your username, social media profiles and anyone or any content you create or interact with online. Your digital identity is made of how you are recognized with usernames and profiles and the trail of data you leave being your digital footprint. Your digital identity can shape how people personally and professionally view you, affecting personal relationships and career opportunities.
How do you present yourself on social media platforms for personal use? What kind of content do you share? How do you manage your privacy?
For personal use, I always try to present myself with who I am. I like to think about creating and engaging things that I would be proud to share with others. I typically include things I appreciate like my hobbies, friends, families or trips. Making sure it is true to me while still being respectful of others and keeping myself safe. I have a few different platforms I like to share on, mainly consisting of private accounts just to keep my close friends and family updated on my life, including pictures of what I’ve done in the week or little vlogs of trips or activities. Additionally, I like to share my training in the gym along with sharing videos I have filmed and edited. As mentioned, anything where I am posting more personally about my life I am keeping my privacy settings so that I can accept and decline who follows those platforms. With privacy, I am sure to double-check each person who requests to make sure they are someone I want following the account, along with from time to time going through my followers and removing any that are people I don’t know.
What steps do you take to maintain a professional image online?
Some steps that I take to maintain a professional image online are protecting my digital identity, managing my online presence, and building a positive reputation. I am always sure it represents me and not someone else. Trying to use unique passwords to protect myself. I think the most important parts of maintaining a professional image online come from managing your online presence and building a positive digital reputation. When managing an online presence to maintain a professional image before posting I will try to change my point of view to various audiences that may see the post and think would I be ok with it and do I think it is appropriate. Building a positive reputation I am sure to regularly check back in with what I have online to make sure I am still creating a positive space and image.
Photo by Arthur Mazi on Unsplash
How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?
With personal digital identities, your goal is to have more informal self-expression and social connections with friends or family. Sharing interests, hobbies or what is going on in your life. Whereas a professional digital identity goal is career growth, professional branding or skills. Sharing professional more formal insight, discussions or career achievements. One focuses more on personal life and the other is used more as a networking device. Keeping them separate and private helps to prevent personal opinions or activities from affecting your professional reputation.
Reflect on the challenges and benefits of maintaining personal and professional digital identities. How do you ensure they complement rather than conflict with one another? Provide examples from your own experiences.
Challenges:
- Managing two separate accounts and not letting them get mixed up. Ensuring that you are not posting a personal element onto the professional account by accident.
- Ensuring that posts are differentiated between each identity. Making sure the professional identity is keeping a more formal approach to information.
Benefits:
- Now although having separate accounts may be a challenge and can get confusing it helps to create that separation between work and life. Allowing for more professional standards when needed.
- Creating a professional identity can help you to build up who you are in the field. Along with it allows you to post specific posts that may target a specific audience in your field. For example, I am a dance teacher so on my account, I have a section for my teaching and dance so that when employers or studios follow me they can view my dancing content.
To ensure they complement each other rather than conflict with each other I use different software for different identities. For example, I keep my Instagram for personal use and have a Facebook page created for professional use. Additionally ensuring to keep up to date with privacy settings and controls to keep personal private and professional public. I will also be sure to not mix conversations for either account to help keep those professional standards.
Looking ahead, how do you plan to manage your digital identity as social media continues to evolve?
I plan to regularly check privacy settings and accounts, and keep my personal and professional identities separate while keeping core values throughout both. I plan to continue to share content that represents me and that can aid my professional career. I also plan to continue to stay informed on social media striving for life-long learners to keep up to date.
How will you adapt to new platforms and trends while maintaining a consistent and positive digital presence?
To stay up to date on new platforms and trends as mentioned above I am going to stay a lifelong learner researching and exploring different platforms and content creators to see what is the trend. Along with taking feedback from other professionals to help better develop my professional identity. To stay consistent from the start I am creating a positive brand for myself that I will continue with and adapt when needed as time goes on.
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