Navigating the Digital Minefield – Learnings with Jesse Miller

Navigating the Digital Minefield – Learnings with Jesse Miller

Jesse Miller’s presentation was full of valuable information in regards to social media use and entering the professional atmosphere. I loved it, however, part of the reason I loved it so much may be due to the fact that I was able to sit back digest the information while knowing that I have a very limited digital footprint that I am very cognizant of. Not having social media as a young adult in many ways is a sacrifice that most people my age aren’t willing to make. Yeah I don’t have a cool collection of pictures and posts that showcase all of my cool hobbies and attest to my popularity. And no I don’t get endless validation from strangers and distant friends or get to broadcast to the world all the best parts of me and my life. I may not know which memes are trending or what’s hot on TikTok but I do have my privacy and a squeaky clean digital footprint. So while Jesse was speaking I got to listen in bliss because I have chosen to keep my personal life out of the digital public sphere. I enjoyed learning about what Jesse shared regardless. I found it interesting because it touches on topics of such importance in our digital society. I think that often people don’t think about what they are posting on their social media and the ways in which it can influence their professional image. I remember in my teen years back when I had social media my mother gave me advice that really stuck with me, she said “don’t post anything online that you wouldn’t want your granny to see”. So maybe substitute the “Granny” part for employer and I think you’ve got a good conduct to live by. I’m sure social media can be great in many ways but it’s important that we are always conscious of what we are putting out into the world especially as future educators. At the end of his presentation Jesse provided a list of books that address topics to do with social media and navigating life in the digital age. I’m really excited to read a few of them and explore the topics further. These are a couple of videos that really touched me years ago when I decided to boycott social media and reduce my screen time.

 

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