Empower educators, leaders and students to make informed decisions to protect their personal data and curate the digital profile they intend to reflect.
In the September, 2020 post An Ethic of Authenticity in Digital Media & Communications I reflect on authenticity as an ethical value in digital spaces, especially as it relates to my current role as a graduate advisor and recruiter at a higher education institution. One need look no further than “reality” TV, social media personas, and journalistic integrity in the era of “fake news” to understand that not all claims of authenticity in digital media are substantive. An ethic of authenticity, either personally or professionally, will not orbit around a strategic marketing campaign; instead, it will use digital media to present the essence of what already exists and whether (or not) it has the ability to live up to its own and others’ expectations and needs.
An additional artifact in support of this standard can be found in the post Digital Wisdom & Circumnavigating the Algorithm wherein readers are encouraged to think carefully about how their personal data and behaviors are tracked and used to impact their online experiences. If digital wisdom involves actively seeking out alternative perspectives, and capitalizing on the enhanced access to these perspectives that technology affords, algorithms, data tracking, cookies, and social media feeds do not necessarily set up the modern internet user for success. The algorithm associated with the Facebook News Feed is just one example of personal data and behaviors working together to create an online echo chamber that is rife with confirmation bias. The more educators and students alike can gain a robust understanding of how their personal data is used online, the more likely they are to make wise decisions as media-literate internet users.
