Cookie Crumbs and Digital Footprints
We all probably know the story of Hansel and Gretel, two kids leaving a trail of bread crumbs to try and find their way home. Well, fortunately there are no witches in this technological tale but there are crumbs of a sort, not bread crumbs but digital cookie crumbs.
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| Image Credit: NordVPN |
(I recognize that in Hansel and Gretel the bread crumbs were left in the forest, while digital cookies are stored on your local device. Also, we are focusing on the impact our presence leaves on the community of people using the site, not what the site leaves on our devices.)
At my high school graduation in 2009, with social media in full swing, smart phones are the rise, and people spending more time online than ever before the commencement speaker warned us about our digital footprint. This is still talked about today when we discuss and teach digital citizenship. The idea of a digital footprint fits nicely with the concepts of visitors and residents as presented by David White. White's concept of a visitor also helps
However, sometime our impact on the technology platform is so small it is like leaving a faint trail of crumbs instead of a large footprint.
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| Image Credit: AGParts Education https://agpartseducation.com/9-elements-of-digital-citizenship/ |
Creating a digital map served as a unique reflection experience, looking at not only what technology I frequently use but how they are used. The map is broken into four quadrants based on if the technology is used for personal or professional purposes and if I am acting as a visitor or a resident. Some of these technologies were very easy to determine resident vs. visitor status while others were more difficult.
To make this determination I referenced the the comparison table, and when I needed something more concrete I went back to what David White said in a blog post response.
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| Image Credit: Nic Fair https://nicfair.co.uk/site/digital-resident-or-digital-visitor/ |
"Visitor activity leaves no social trace online so you don’t need a login. For example, browsing Wikipedia or shopping." - David White
Some of the technologies included in the map are not meant to leave social traces online so they were automatically placed in the visitor areas. One example is QLab which is used for theatrical control, it results in a public product but not online. For example, all the sound designs I create, or guide students in creating for theatre are programmed using this platform.
The technology that surprised me the most was Facebook. A few months ago Facebook would only have appeared in the personal area firmly in the visitor area. I was rarely on it and almost never commented or posted. Now however, I am on Facebook regularly actively participating in a few theatrical groups and it has been great. I have learned some new thing, been affirmed in some current practices, and I have been able to contribute to conversations and provide some answers or input. Facebook for personal use has increased only slightly as I am on it more. I still almost never post on my profile and very rarely do I comment on friends posts. Because of how differently I use Facebook I decided to place it separately for professional and personal quadrants on the map below. All other technologies seemed to fall relatively equal with visitor or resident status if I used them both personally and professionally.
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| Image Credit: Author Logos are the property of the companies they represent The second biggest surprise was YouTube. I am rarely on the platform to find videos for personal use, and I do not leave comments which is why it does not appear in the personal area. For professional purposes however, in one of my roles at school, I am responsible for the filming, streaming, and uploading of a range of content for the performing arts and other areas in the school. This started four years ago as a result of Covid restrictions and we have continued some of those practices. For example, we stream our music concerts which has really helped some extended family members witness the student's concerts when coming in person is not reasonable. Blogger is a new technology for me. I am enjoying the process of blogging and will see how long I continue. Even if I do not continue to author a blog for an extended time I do have a renewed appreciation for blogs as a source of inspiration and information. I am interested to see what my map might look like in a year or so. Creating this map was helped along the way by a cool YouTube video I saw. It presented an easy way to generate logos. Seeing this video reminded me of the power and flexibility spreadsheets have when you know the formulas to use. |
Facebook has such a bad reputation for so many people that they refuse to see it can be highly beneficial, too. There are so many incredible groups that not only increase your PLN but make the world a bit smaller, too. I loved the video on the logos! Thanks for sharing that. Who thinks of all of these formulas??!!
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised at the number of beneficial groups that exist. Now they seem to take up most of my feed which can be annoying, but I am gaining a lot from them.
DeleteWhen I do get chances to browse Facebook, it is fun to see pictures of family members or friends from previous years. I am looking forward to engaging more often and seeing what else Facebook has to offer. Marketplace is interesting, yet I haven't been confident enough in trusting others to come through with a transaction, but there are so many items that look appealing to me. Thank you for the logo video, love to learn what others have found that is maybe not as well known.
ReplyDeleteI have been fortunate that most Marketplace transactions have gone well, some sellers are very slow to respond or mark the product as pending which can be frustrating. We were scammed once with a deposit to hold an item so now we won't do that. All in all, I'd say Marketplace is worthwhile if you have time to wait for what you want to pop up.
DeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI love your connection of the cookie crumbs to Hansel and Gretel! Very clever!
In similar sense, I also only had one use of social media platform that I have used the most, Instagram. Like you ,it didn't start off to be a constant use of mine until years after to help me connect with others.