by Sarah Bransley
As the end of the semester approaches and spring seems to finally have it’s hold over the campus, spirits seem to be slowly lifting. Everyone can see the light at the end of the tunnel, whether that’s the end of the semester, the end of undergrad, or the end of school forever! Combining the warm, fresh air with the packing that ensues at the end of every semester means that a lot of people are looking forward to a cleaning day or two in the near future. Before you grab the vacuum, think about grabbing your laptop first.
As we shift more of our activities into the technological world, our need to organize our digital lives as well as our physical lives becomes more important. For each person this may mean different things. For me, it includes going through my emails and unsubscribing from all of those websites I never look at anymore. It includes making sure my files & folders are fairly organized and backed up. It involves unfriending the people I don’t interact with anymore. It includes changing my favorites on all my media. It includes googling my own name, seeing what appears, and deciding what I want to represent myself. That last one is actually pretty important for everyone, but very few people do it.
Your digital footprint represents you not only to your friends and family but to future employers, co-workers, professors, landlords, your hairstylist, and that guy across the hall from you who you say hi to but totally forgot his name. If you’re looking for work or an internship, this is important as many employers look at social media now to gain information on prospective employees. If you aren’t graduating yet, this will put you ahead of the game. It’s important to know how you are representing yourself to the world and if you have any old or unfortunate media tied to your name.