January 3, 2014

We Are No Longer Leaving Behind Footprints

where does these footsteps lead to  ?
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, with daily media stories 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.

1 comment:

  1. This is brilliant! I've been presenting about "Digital Safety" since 1997 - I later changed it to "Digital Awareness" (when I realized there is no real safety on the interwebs) then I thought about "concrete digital footprints" as something we leave behind that is more than just steps in the digital sand -- but Digital DNA is fascinating! I hope you don't mind if I explore this, inspired by you, with attribution - of course!
    Cheers!
    @GwynethJones - The Daring Librarian

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