DISQUS

Ian M Rountree · 4 months ago

There's a certain merit to being findable, though the compressed timestamp effect is a bit disturbing. I've known people who have been fired for Facebook uploads depicting them ten years ago as drunken adolescents, which is a bit extreme. Conversely, I spent most of my life intentionally being impossible to google, and only recently floated myself a plethora of social media involvements for the sake of avoiding identity theft (fifty pictures on ten disparate sites can't be wrong about who the real me is, right?).

There's a fine balance to walk here, and I think one of the tools the parents of digital natives will need to use is teaching their kids how to keep things in context. It's not just "don't friend strangers on Facebook" any more, is it?

cariofthevalley · 4 months ago

Ian - I completely agree with the need for balance! I am concerned about my little digital natives growing up in a world where they create a legacy that can haunt them forever when they are too young to consider the consequences. It's important, I think, that parents stay a step ahead in understanding these nuances so we can protect our children (and ignore their protests) until they are old enough to really understand the possible impact of their digital footprint.

Ian M Rountree · 4 months ago

Quite. Having a two year old (at time of writing) of my own, I know we can't protect them from everything, as much effort as we put into trying to do so. The teaching of these nuances is necessary as well.

Too often the obsession with child-proofing the world overcomes the task of world-proofing the child.

Vedo · 6 months ago

There are great thoughts on our digital footprints. I think you are smart to bring this up if for nothing else then to provide a bit of self-assessment. Thanks for the reminder.

Mark Dykeman · 6 months ago

Hey, a little foresight can go a long way...

Noel · 6 months ago

Scrutiny will just make you a stronger person. It's a good thang.

Mark Dykeman · 6 months ago

I don't know if this is really a case of making you stronger, but it's certainly a smart approach.

Adam Singer · 6 months ago

I love that my content will be around longer than me - hopefully forever. As an artist it is a real motivator to keep making more and better art. Same as a writer.

Mark Dykeman · 5 months ago

Immortality, Adam? :)

Michael Kozakewich · 6 months ago

I'm actually kind of excited to have an entire generation on file. I've read a couple of papery this-n-thats from my parents' early days, but they really don't have any sort of an online history.
It would be like looking at those old photo albums, and realizing your uncle in that photo was younger than you are now. Except more public.

Mark Dykeman · 5 months ago

Plus no photo album, right? :)

mark mayhew · 5 months ago

recommending: "Are you ready for your digital legacy"

cariofthevalley · 4 months ago

That's actually a very interesting post. I just wrote a post about kids and their digital legacy (http://rawandrandom.blogspot.com/2009/08/childr...) but hadn't given much thought to the reverse challenge. I am very careful about my online world...I do use my name but I am well aware that everything I say will be out there for a long long time, perhaps forever, and that anyone with a halfway decent ability to do a basic search can find what I've linked to, said, etc. Any thoughts on conveying this kind of information to kids?