Digital Tattoos:
Our digital images online
Image source: Profitable Social Media
No matter how public or private...
We all leave a trail. This week we embark on the journey to discover who we really are on social media. This is called our digital tattoo or the images and ideas we leave online for others to see and read. You know that saying "what you post online is forever," well it's true. Just like a physical tattoo that we ink onto our bodies, our digital tattoo is the ink we leave on the internet, whether it's public information or from our social media. Our digital "footprint" or identity cannot be changed once it's posted online, even if our accounts are private. Profitable Social Media tells us that trying to change online posts is like trying to remove a tattoo, difficult and a pain-in-the-skin!
Body Ink vs. Digital Ink
Most of us know that a tattoo is a permanent mark. Many of us may have a body tattoo, but nearly all of us have a digital tattoo. In this day of age, it's hard not to be found online in some sort of way!
When it comes to my body ink, I currently have one tattoo inked on my left forearm. Do I plan on more? Absolutely. Now, this tattoo I have is not only a large tattoo but also my first, but not last, tattoo. After nearly 4 years of planning and decision-making, I decided to finally get inked. I got this tattoo during my first year teaching while we were on spring break. (It was no surprise when students stared at my arm and immediately started asking questions.) Fun facts: my tattoo took 5.5 hours to complete, which I did in one session, and it really did not hurt!
It is a shattered hourglass with a single purple rose crashing through it. You can also see a small graveyard etched into the sand. Hourglass for broken time, Purple rose for Cystic Fibrosis (CF), and the graveyard for inevitable death. All this represents put together the biggest challenge I have in my life: having cystic fibrosis... By having this tattoo and seeing it each and every day, it reminds me that CF will not stop me from living my life. It was definitely something not many people see me doing and rather large for a first tattoo. I do not regret this tattoo, and will never regret it. It's part of who I am and I enjoy sharing with others about this tattoo. I am looking forward to getting more!
Image source: personal photo
When it comes to digital ink, we all leave that image behind. In sort of a funny way, digital tattoos can be more permanent than our body tattoos. This Smart Gen Society article states that "Just like a tattoo, anything we post online stays there forever." I think it's important to think about what we post before we post it. Once we do, it may be too late. Nowadays, most of our digital tattoos build from our social media. We also see more employers and colleges/universities using our social media to determine who we are prior to interviews, offers, or admission. Therefore, any negative posts from us can turn into us having a "bad" digital tattoo where employers and admission teams are discouraged from hiring or accepting that particular individual.
Alongside, posting too much information on social media can be releasing too much about us, affecting our digital tattoo. It can reveal who we are, our hobbies, what we do in our free time, opinions, and even priorities. A Mamas Latinas article states that "If you're not careful, you may even reveal some things you're not too keen on others knowing." How scary is that? Makes you want to think twice even more before posting or sharing.
Think before you Ink!
I decided to go back and explore my most recent social media posts to analyze them and see what these could show about me compared to who I think I really am.
I have recently been using Instagram a bit more than my Facebook, so I analyzed my Instagram posts.
The last 3 posts are a picture of Snickers on Easter Sunday with her colorful bandana, a selfie of me captioned "say hello to my big forehead," and a countdown to our wedding day where it was exactly 6 months away at the time of posting. These posts are pretty much positive and engaging, they are definitely real-life moments, and I think does reflect who I am.
The next 3 posts are purely selfies of me showing off my freshly dyed hair and poor choice of an outfit that does not quite fit anymore. Again, real moments and just something I do think portrays who I am. I also just realized one of the photos shows the time and location of the photo being taken on Snapchat.. oops. There goes privacy! Even though my account is private, I am sure these posts can be seen in some way on the internet.
The following 5 posts are all ones from Valentines' Day! From dinner, to selfies, to ones with Snickers wearing a heart wreath, all fun posts that show some fun times in my life.
Image source: Personal Instagram screenshot
In general, I can see that I have quite a few selfies. Which I am not ashamed about, but can come off as "vain" or "seeking attention" which, maybe to some followers, it can come off that way. The Mama Latinas article shares what type of posts on social media say about us. What is interesting is that I know who I am, but others can see my posts from a completely different perspective. I am just very comfortable in my skin and I worked hard to get to the confidence level I have now, so really it's more of showing that off versus trying to get others' attention.
I also share many posts of Snickers, our corgi, and photos of me and my fiance. I just am so excited to finally marry him, so that is something I do like to share with others. Maybe a slight bit of "look at us we're getting married!" vibe and that is okay! But also, can show that I value family. Which I truly do! My next goal in life besides being a teacher is to become a mother!
I rarely post anything about politics or my beliefs, many because those are things that should be kept off social media. Not everyone cares to see that about you. Although, the same can go for those selfies and wedding posts I guess... oops! Every so often I share something about school because it's good to share with others what you love to do, and for me, that is teaching!
Image source: Personal Instagram screenshot
I think it's great to take a moment to reflect back on the posts you share on social media. It's also interesting to think about why we posts and what it means to us versus how others see them and think about who we are. How do your social media posts reflect you to others? Just like body tattoos, we should think before we ink on social media.
Social media and our students
Thinking about the reflections I have made about my Instagram posts, it can be a great activity for students to do. An ADL article shares with educators how students can think about what they post online and whether or not they are really showing who they are through them. By reflecting and asking themselves, "What does your social media personality show to the world?" it can help them understand there are things they don't have to show to people on social media. It can also help with self-identity and seeing who they are behind the screens.
Image source: College Marketing Group
Sylvia, I also read the Mama Latinas article but you just put the entire article into such a great perspective. I was angry with a few of the comments they made, but you are absolutely correct. Someone viewing my instagram can gather so much information (personal information) about myself, such us what region I live in, where I work, what I do for a living. Those are things that I would like to be private yet, I share it on a social media platform. I teach Freshman and I think it would be a great activity to have my students do where they find out their personality based on their social media. Although, my freshman are anti-posting on instagram. They hardly post and they told me they find it very "cringe" when others post instagram photos. How funny!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great reflection on your thoughts about your digital (and real) tattoo! It's nice to hear you are confident about your posts and that you think this is something students should be made aware of- I agree!
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