This blog is about Thing 4 from SSSC 23 Things Digital. Digital footprint.
I watched the clip by Orange about the young woman at an interview for a part time job in a fashion wear shop whose 'Brenda hating' online antics came back to bite her. Although short, I thought this was quite powerful and is a really good way of making the issue real. I feel this should be shown in schools, colleges and universities so that young people about to enter the world of work are aware of the consequences of online behaviour. I have seen people's online behaviour come back to haunt them with disastrous consequences for them-not least politicians who then lose their post and are also open then to trolling and public opprobrium about their past behaviour. This must have not only career consequences, but also mental and emotional health consequences for them and those close to them.
In social care I am also aware of cases where workers have been subject to disciplinary proceedings, lost their jobs, been sanctioned by the SSSC and had their case covered in the paper due to inappropriate online behaviour. I think this is so reckless must be really humiliating for all involved. I always make a point of making new starts aware of this and pointing out that the SSSC codes apply to online behaviour as well as IRL behaviour- I think for some folk online is where they let their frustrations spill over, especially if they have had one too many drinks.
The 8 Tips article also mentions that once you put something out on the internet it is there forever. This is another message I have put across to new colleagues. As the article says social media platforms do updates potentially changing their privacy settings so we should double check from time to time- I previously learned this from a SSSC article about online behaviour and point this out to new colleagues.
As for myself, I have always been naturally cautious about my digital footprint. That said, for this 4th Thing I had to google myself and was slightly concerned that there may be more information about me online than I thought. Thankfully I was practically invisible. I eventually found myself on about the 3rd or 4th page and was only mentioned as having attended a course several years ago. The spelling of my name is quite unusual so I only came across two other people-neither in this country-whose first and last names are spelled exactly the same as mine and they have very little information about themselves available online either. That is the way I hope to keep it for myself.
I liked the 8 tips article as it was concise and had not too much jargon in it. Most of the information was familiar however one piece of information that did strike me was that apps are collecting information about you even if you don't use them. I didn't really expect that and it is something I will be aware of now and will check which I can get rid of.
In social care all of this information and tips about digital footprint is important not only for staff but also for the people we support. If I am supporting someone with using digital technology then part of that must also be about how they keep themselves and their information safe online. This may have to be reflected in a risk assessment about how I and others should support the person with this area of their knowledge and skills. This is part of my duty of care when supporting the person.
