We are constantly warned about how careful we need to be online in order to be safe, but do the majority of us actually listen? Our digital footprints online could be the reason why you didn’t get that job you wanted… Or why your bank account is a thousand pounds down. I’ll be discussing ways to be safer online, and how an online presence can actually be used as an advantage in many ways.
Firstly, a few warnings. Despite always assuming that it “won’t happen to us”, it very easily can happen to us and very recently, 272million email and passwords were hacked from sites such as Gmail and Yahoo (Yadron, 2016). Hackers will get your information for several different reasons, all of which you would want to avoid.
So considering how much information gets hacked, what can we do to avoid this daunting process? Habert suggests that you create very complex passwords in which you should try to change your password for each social media account, rather than having a generic one for all of them. You should also use a well regarded VPN to stop hackers, do not download from any old site and do not give any information away as you can never really trust who you are talking to online (Habert, 2015).
Additionally, have you ever had an interview that went absolutely perfect and then got rejected by the company? This could be because 72% of employers do a background check (Goldberg, 2016) and they may have found on your social media accounts that you are a lot different online, in comparison to the interview (check what they look for here). To prevent this, you should make sure your accounts are private and you have no inappropriate pictures or videos on any social media platforms that could jeopardise you getting a job.
Having an online identity is not necessarily a bad thing and when treading carefully, it can really connect you with the wider world where you can have so many different online identities as you are practically able to create an identity on every web page you visit. By being online, you can connect and share interests with people around the world in which communities and genuine friendships can be made.
Wouldn’t it also be good to make some money on the side? Online identities give some people with large followings the opportunity to make money. For instance, KSI on Youtube has a net-worth of $11million, all of which is only possible with an online identity (Afzal, 2017).
Online identities allow us to portray ourselves in several different ways which could either be seen as a negative or positive. However you wish to interpret the matter is your choice but I would fully recommend you are aware of the implications an online presence can have, if you do not take the necessary precautions.
References:
Alexander Turner 
March 1, 2017 at 2:15 pm
Hi Alexander,
I enjoyed reading your post, especially as it considers both sides of an argument. The section about internet safety particularly stood out – I also agree that digital users should be wary of the content they post on their social media platforms; something I considered in my post.
However, there is room for improvement. For example, you could use relevant images to expand upon your arguments. Additionally, I came across psychological research by Carpenter et al. (2012) who found that narcissists will more likely have multiple online identities and show anti-social behaviour towards people they consider a threat. Therefore, this adds to the issue that multiple identities can decrease trustworthiness in others. Perhaps it is important that young individuals today are taught about digital identity to avoid going down an inauthentic path. In light of this, what are your thoughts on education and internet safety?
Thank you,
Wei
References
Carpenter, C. J. (2012). Narcissism on Facebook: Self-promotional and anti-social behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(4), 482-486. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.11.011
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March 5, 2017 at 8:42 pm
Thanks for your comment Wei!
I will be taking your improvements on board and will definitely add in more pictures to help the fluency of my future blogs.
I read Carpenter’s work after you pleasantly shared it and it is a very interesting study. It goes to show that some people use online identities for the wrong reason and that it is not necessarily a good thing to have multiple identities or the ability to change who you truly are.
In regards to your question, I would argue that the internet CAN be safe, but if you do not take the necessary precautions, can be extremely dangerous. I think people should be taught from a young age in education how to be safe online as I was certainly not educated in this field with my time at school. What is your opinion on the matter?
Thanks, Alex.
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March 1, 2017 at 2:22 pm
Hi Alexander,
I enjoyed reading your post, especially as it considers both sides of an argument. The section about internet safety particularly stood out – I also agree that digital users should be wary of the content they post on their social media platforms; something I considered in my post.
However, there is room for improvement. For example, you could use relevant images to expand upon your arguments. Additionally, I came across psychological research by Carpenter (2012) found that narcissists will more likely have multiple online identities and show anti-social behaviour towards people they consider a threat. Therefore, this adds to the issue that multiple identities can decrease trustworthiness in others. Perhaps it is important that young individuals today are taught about digital identity to avoid going down an inauthentic path. In light of this, what are your thoughts on education and internet safety?
Thank you,
Wei
References
Carpenter, C. J. (2012). Narcissism on Facebook: Self-promotional and anti-social behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(4), 482-486. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.11.011
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March 1, 2017 at 2:34 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed your blog! I particularly like that you delved into issues surrounding hacking in more depth as that was not something I considered in much detail in my blog. I also appreciated the YouTube video that outlines what employers look for when searching your online profiles and this will be something I bare in mind when making job applications in the future. I was shocked by your statistics on hacking which led me to question whether this is just something we have to deal with now. I agree that a lot of people assume they will never be affected by it but I think it is fair to say we are living in the digital age whereby hacking is an almost daily occurrence. Would you agree that the precautions you mention should be taught in schools, like the precautions we were taught not to talk to strangers online?
(Word Count: 150)
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March 5, 2017 at 8:53 pm
Thanks for you comment Caiti!
I appreciate all the positive feedback you have given to me, I hope to supply you with more informative blogs in the near future.
In regards to hacking, I too was surprised about the amount of information that got hacked from such huge companies. You would have thought that companies such as Google would be impossible to hack but yet hackers can still get past their security which makes me agree with your point that hacking is in fact a daily occurrence which is almost unavoidable.
Wei and myself had a similar discussion about whether or not schools do enough to teach students about the necessary precautions online and we both felt as if the education system should do more as the internet is such a huge part of our lives in this digital era and such serious matters can arise if you are not cautious. Do you share the same viewpoint?
Regards, Alex.
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March 1, 2017 at 3:29 pm
Hey Alex,
I really enjoyed reading your post. The statistics that you have mentioned in your second paragraph are very eye opening. 272 million emails and passwords being hacked from sites that everyone is familiar with is truly daunting.
I am now considering changing a few passwords myself to ensure a higher level of security. I also agree with your view that more people should be made aware of these facts as it can happen to anyone.
What is your own personal opinion on multiple online identities? Would you agree with Mark Zuckerberg’s view and state that there is no need to have multiple online identities as you should portray yourself the same in the online and offline world? Or do you believe that it can be essential to maintain various profiles especially as you posted a video concerning the background checks that are done by many firms?
I have also found an article that I believe you could be interested in which gives further guidance on how to protect yourself online: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/7-ways-protect-yourself-id-theft.aspx
Keep up the good work,
Sharon
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March 5, 2017 at 9:06 pm
Hey Sharon!
I certainly agree that the amount of data that was recently hacked is very daunting and it makes you question whether or not the internet is actually safe!
In regards to my own viewpoint on the agenda, I would state that having multiple online identities is fine, but as long as you do not pretend to be someone else or try and create someone that is simply not you. One article (http://brobible.com/life/article/catfishing-stats-facts-figures-how-common-it-is/) found that actually 1 out of every 10 dating profiles are fake, showing just how easy it is to set up a fake online identity.
Thanks for the article you shared! It covered some factors I actually missed out that could help people be safer online such as monitoring your bank accounts closely!
Again, thanks for your feedback it was very useful.
Alex
References:
Anderson, C. (2015) ‘These stats on how common “Catfishing” is just might blow your mind apart’, 16 November. Available at: http://brobible.com/life/article/catfishing-stats-facts-figures-how-common-it-is/ (Accessed: 5 March 2017).
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March 1, 2017 at 7:41 pm
Hi Alex,
I really enjoyed reading your blog this week and thought you raised a few really interesting points that resonated with me. I liked how you used a powerpoint presentation to further explain the security components relevant to an online identity. Proposing ideas such as using a VPN were also informative and useful to safeguarding.
One point I would make is for there to be a bit more information in regards to multiple online identities not limited to a working perspective. I understand your point of view in reference to online identities and how we can mask ourselves in an effort to create a new personality such as “KSI” however what is your opinion on using multiple online identities for different purposes how does that affect the securities aspect.
Thanks for a really interesting read!
Ausaf
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March 5, 2017 at 9:16 pm
Hey Ausaf!
Cheers for the positive feedback I’ll try to keep using my own primary pictures and slides to help the fluency of the blog! I’m also glad you liked several of my points!
I totally agree with your critique I’ll definitely try to include more info in my next blogs. My opinion on multiple online identities was covered in a similar discussion I shared with Sharon, but I mentioned how I felt it was fine as long as you stay true to who you are, rather than attempting to be another human being (also known as a catfish) or merely pretending to be someone that does not reflect yourself in any way. Check out this article which shows you how many people actually do this, which is quite a scary thought if you ask me -http://brobible.com/life/article/catfishing-stats-facts-figures-how-common-it-is/
Does your opinion differ in terms of having multiple online identities?
Thanks, Alex!
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March 1, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Hi Alex, I really enjoyed your blog post because it included lots of information that was very surprising and relevant which i had not really considered before. I did not realise that so many people had their online profiles hacked and their information stolen so this has made me a lot more aware. I really liked that you included a powerpoint that you made which included further information that enhanced your points you made earlier. Maybe to enhance your future posts, it would be interesting to learn about your own personal experiences with having social media accounts and whether you use one main account or lots of different ones. Finally, i really liked that you included advice in your blog. Not only was it useful and informative, it suggested that you cared about your blog readers which would encourage me to read and keep up to date with your future posts.
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March 5, 2017 at 9:27 pm
Thanks for your post Cherie!
I also found the amount of people that got hacked very astonishing and several other readers were also surprised about the sheer volume of hacks. It goes to show that even the top companies with high tech security can still be hacked!
In regards to my own online identities, I use several different social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter but I like to think that I am the same identity on all of them and I would never try and be someone that I am not. Do you tend to use one identity or do you have lots of different ones?
I’m glad you liked my content, yours was great too! I look forward to your future posts.
Alex
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