Image Source: Flickr.com VinothChandar
For a few years now I have been presenting on the concept of 'digital footprints'. At the very beginning it was about the tracks we left behind as we ventured through cyberspace. Then, as social media became more pervasive in our lives the presentations morphed into awareness sessions for teachers, parents, and students alike. Now, as every day there appears another media story about the damage caused by behavior online those presentations have evolved into specific strategies on how to mold an online presence.
I have come to realize that we are no longer leaving behind footprints in the sand, instead I am convinced that we have become so immersed in technologies (particularly our students) that we are now dealing with one's 'digital DNA'. On a whim, I headed over to Wikipedia to see what they had to say about DNA. The information I read was spot-on; "genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms" and "long-term storage of information" and "contains the instructions needed to construct other components"
I guess my presentations on this topic will continue to evolve and my slides of footprints in the sand will have to be retired while I search for DNA images in my favorite stock photo websites.
Do you think we are still leaving footprints behind?
My Digital DNA (screenshot) from the WEB2DNA Art Project.
3 comments:
I think we are still leaving footprints just not in sand. It is more like we are leaving footprints in cement. They still can be erased but it takes a lot of work.
I liked your DNA picture. Thanks for sharing that site. Another you might want to look at is Personas. Based on how your name is portrayed on the web it gives you a labeled perception that people might gather. http://personas.media.mit.edu/personasWeb.html
Interesting thought - changes in our cognitive wiring would seem to indicate the affect that technology has had on our lives.
I really like this concept. I think you are bang on with this, especially where our students are concerned. They way they interact online is wired right into them. Thanks for sharing this.
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