My Online Life

The generation of children born around the mid-1990s and beyond has been the most technology-immersed generation ever. Dubbed the "iGeneration", a play on devices like the iPod and iPad, the generation is snapping, tweeting, posting, and sharing their way through life. As a member of this generation, I am susceptible to this behavior as well. But what kind of digital footprint do I leave? How connected am I to the rest of the world via the Internet?

Let's start with what kinds of online services I use. Most often I browse and post on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Reddit. I will also use Facebook and LinkedIn occasionally while visiting other sites and apps less frequently. Overall most of this social media covers a lot of my screen time because the combined usage of these sites allows me to stay in touch with my friends while we are all away at school, keeps me updated on the latest sports and social/pop culture news, as well as world news. The internet has become a one-stop shop for the generation of children who are always connected.

Most of the sites I mentioned before require some kind of account to be created and verified to gain full access to the services of the site. This may include entering information like name, email, etc. The sites claim to be secure but how much can we trust them? How can I be sure my information won't be stolen by a hacker or someone in the company with bad motives? It's hard to say. These multi-million dollar corporations have some of the best security systems available but often hackers still get into another person's account and there's always a chance you are the next victim. The best preparation you can do is to not give out any of your information to anyone and always use different passwords or security measures when prompted.

Overall I would say I'm very active on social media and online. But I don't feel like I've left a very massive footprint. Many people can find lots of pictures and information about themselves with a simple Google search of their name. I found myself in a somewhat lucky situation in this regard. When I was younger I had no social media and many of the sites and apps we know today didn't even exist in my younger years. Any Google search of me wouldn't return much information or any information about myself. As I got older and onto Facebook and other sites you may have been able to find a profile picture of me but still nothing much. Then, in 2012, right around when my digital footprint would've been growing, the Indianapolis Colts select Stanford quarterback Andrew LUCK with the Number 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Now that wouldn't mean much of anything but just a year earlier, all-time great QB, PEYTON Manning, had left the Colts after having a successful career with them. Andrew Luck was touted by many to become the next great Colts QB to lead them back to the success they found with Manning. With all this crossover between Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, a Google search of my name returns articles about comparisons between these two players, and almost nothing on me, save a Twitter and Facebook picture. A bit of a lucky situation that has kept my initial footprint small but it will likely grow as my presence does.

Leaving a small digital footprint, but only because of wildly lucky circumstances, isn't really something to brag about. It has, however, kept in mind that I need to be careful with what I put online because at some point some of my profiles and other accounts may creep in amongst the NFL greats and if my info falls into the wrong hands there can be serious consequences.