One of my Introduction to Computer-Mediated Communications assignments is to discuss their digital presence. The assignment is:
Write a 2-3 page essay over your web presence. How represented are you in the digital world compared to your offline world? How much time do you spend online? What type of Web sites do you frequently use? What type of mobile phone do you use? Do you text or talk on the phone? How do you use the Web, entertainment, socialize or to professionally network? If I Googled you, what would I find? Would an employer hire you? Explore your digital presence and write an essay discussing who you are in the online world.
Of course I have other criteria, but the main goal is to allow students to reflect on how they use digital media. Students need to realize what they post online is more public than what they think. Students could post the wrong photo online to one day find that one photo hindered him/her from being hired at their dream job. This assignment helps students critically analyze their digital lives as well as reflect on why they spend so much time in the digital world, especially with iPhones, social networking sites, etc. But, if an employee Googled these students, would they be hired or would they be passed over because of their tarnished digital footprint. I can’t wait to read their essays next week!
