Your Digital Footprint

Every time you go online, you leave traces. Every post, comment, like, search, and photo contributes to your digital footprint — a permanent record of your online activity. Unlike footprints in sand, digital footprints do not wash away.

Active Footprint

Things you deliberately share online:

• Social media posts and stories
• Comments on videos or articles
• Profile information you fill in
• Emails and messages you send
• Photos and videos you upload

Passive Footprint

Data collected without you realising:

• Websites tracking your browsing history
• Location data from your phone
• Cookies that track your preferences
• Your IP address logged by websites
• Metadata in photos (time, location)

The Permanence Problem

Even if you delete a post, someone may have already screenshotted it, cached it, or shared it. The internet never truly forgets. Before posting anything, ask yourself: "Would I be comfortable with my parents, my teacher, or a future employer seeing this?"

Social Media: Professional vs Personal

As you grow older, your online presence becomes increasingly visible to people who make important decisions about your life — university admissions, employers, scholarship panels.

Building a Positive Online Presence

✓ Share achievements (awards, projects, volunteering)
✓ Post about things you are passionate about
✓ Comment thoughtfully on topics you care about
✓ Use a professional-looking profile photo
✓ Keep personal accounts private

Damaging Your Online Reputation

✗ Posting offensive jokes or comments
✗ Sharing embarrassing photos of yourself or others
✗ Publicly arguing or being rude to others
✗ Complaining about school, teachers, or employers
✗ Posting illegal or risky behaviour

What Employers and Universities See

Studies show that over 70% of employers check candidates' social media profiles. They look for red flags (offensive content, poor judgement) and green flags (professionalism, community involvement, interests that align with the role). Your online presence is your first impression before you even walk in the door.

Cyberbullying: Recognising and Responding

Cyberbullying is using technology to deliberately and repeatedly harm someone. It can happen on any platform — social media, messaging apps, gaming, or email.

Forms of Cyberbullying

• Harassment: Repeated, mean messages or comments
• Exclusion: Deliberately leaving someone out of group chats or online activities
• Outing: Sharing someone's private information without consent
• Impersonation: Pretending to be someone else to damage their reputation
• Image-based abuse: Sharing embarrassing photos without permission

What to Do If It Happens

1. Do not respond — reacting often makes it worse
2. Save the evidence — take screenshots
3. Block the person on the platform
4. Report it using the platform's report feature
5. Tell a trusted adult — parent, teacher, or counsellor

Remember: Being an upstander (someone who speaks up) rather than a bystander (someone who watches) can make a real difference. If you see someone being bullied online, support them privately, report the behaviour, and do not share the harmful content further.

Privacy Settings & Personal Information

Protecting your personal information online is not optional — it is essential.

Never Share Online

✗ Your home address
✗ Phone number (publicly)
✗ Passwords or financial details
✗ School name + your full name together
✗ Your daily routine or location in real-time

Privacy Best Practices

✓ Set accounts to private
✓ Only accept friend/follow requests from people you know
✓ Use strong, unique passwords
✓ Enable two-factor authentication
✓ Review privacy settings regularly

Key Vocabulary

Digital Footprint

The trail of data you leave behind whenever you use the internet.

Online Reputation

The impression people form about you based on what they find about you online.

Cyberbullying

Using technology to deliberately and repeatedly harm, harass, or humiliate someone.

Upstander

Someone who speaks up or takes action when they see bullying, rather than being a passive bystander.

Two-Factor Authentication

A security method requiring two forms of identification (e.g., password + phone code) to access an account.

Metadata

Hidden information embedded in files (e.g., the time, date, and location a photo was taken).

Worked Examples

Evaluate these digital communication scenarios.

Example 1: Social Media Post Evaluation

RISKY POST

"Ugh, my boss at [cafe name] is the WORST. Made me work a double shift again. I hate this job so much. #quitting"

Publicly names the employer, expresses negativity, could be seen by current or future employers. Could get them fired.

POSITIVE POST

"Wrapped up a big catering event at work today — long shift but great to see the team come together. Learning so much about customer service! #growth"

Positive tone, shows work ethic, demonstrates learning, does not badmouth anyone.

Example 2: Responding to Cyberbullying

POOR RESPONSE

Someone posts a mean comment about you. You respond with an angry reply, call them names, and share a screenshot asking friends to "go after them."

Escalates the situation, could get YOU in trouble, does not solve the problem.

STRONG RESPONSE

You take a screenshot for evidence, do not respond publicly, block the person, report the comment using the platform's tools, and tell a trusted adult what happened.

Evidence preserved, no escalation, proper channels used, support sought.

Example 3: Digital Footprint Scenario

Scenario: Year 12 student Maya is applying for a university scholarship. The scholarship panel searches her name online and finds:

What they find (positive):

• A blog about her science fair project
• A LinkedIn profile with volunteer work
• A news article about her school award

What they also find (concerning):

• Old public Instagram posts with inappropriate jokes
• A tweet complaining about a teacher by name
• Tagged in a friend's questionable photo

Lesson: Your positive achievements can be undermined by old, careless posts. Regularly audit your online presence and clean up anything you would not want a future opportunity to see.

Knowledge Check

Test your understanding of digital communication and online safety. Select the correct answer and click "Check Answer".

Question 1

What is a "digital footprint"?

A type of computer virus Your phone's storage space A social media account The trail of data you leave behind whenever you use the internet

Question 2

Someone is sending you repeated hurtful messages online. What is the BEST first step?

Do not respond, save evidence (screenshots), block, report, and tell a trusted adult Delete all the messages and forget about it Send an angry reply to make them stop Post about it publicly to shame the bully

Question 3

Why do employers check candidates' social media profiles?

To see how many followers they have To look for red flags (poor judgement, offensive content) and green flags (professionalism, interests) Because it is legally required To steal personal information

Question 4

Which of the following is safe to share publicly online?

Your home address Your daily school schedule with times A blog post about a topic you are passionate about Your phone number and school name together

Question 5

You deleted an embarrassing post from last year. Is it truly gone?

Yes, deleting removes it completely from the internet It depends on the brand of phone you use Yes, but only after 30 days Not necessarily — it may have been screenshotted, cached, or archived by others

Digital Communication & Online Presence