Transcript - Managing your digital footprint: the personal and environmental impact

INSTRUCTOR: Welcome to this session on managing your digital footprint. This session will help you understand the personal and environmental impact of your actions online. The first part of this session focuses on your digital footprint. We will consider what your digital footprint is, how it is created, and how it might affect you. 

And I'll share ways that you can control the impression that you leave behind online. We will think about social media and consider how social media posts can affect how you are perceived. And I'll also share some tips on how you can use social media to support your work and study. 

There'll be two tasks in this section. In the first one, you will uncover your own digital footprint. And in the second task, you'll consider the real-life consequences of some social media posts. 

In the second half of the session, we'll focus on your digital carbon footprint. We'll start by considering exactly what a digital carbon footprint is, and we'll then consider the environmental impact of common online tasks, like sending and receiving emails, searching online, storing digital files, and using AI tools. I'll share some quick actions that you can take to reduce your digital carbon footprint. And in the third task, you'll have the chance to implement some of these tips. 

So our learning outcomes. By the end of this session, you'll be able to explain what a digital footprint is and how it can influence how you are perceived. You'll be able to identify ways to create a positive image on social media. You'll be able to recognise the environmental impact of common online tasks and take practical steps to reduce your digital carbon footprint. 

So let's start by thinking about what a digital footprint is. The Oxford English Dictionary provides this definition. A digital footprint is the information about a particular person that exists on the internet as a result of their online activity. 

So what creates a digital footprint? Your digital footprint is created in two slightly different ways. Websites store data about you when you access their sites and services, and that makes up part of your digital footprint. Any information that you post about yourself online or other people post about you also makes up your digital footprint. 

So let's think first about the type of data that websites might store about you. Every device has a unique identifier, called an IP address. This stands for Internet Protocol address. This IP address can reveal your location. Some online services record your IP address, along with the pages you've viewed and the time of your visit, so that they can build up a profile of your browsing habits. They then use this data to improve your experience online. 

For example, some services use your IP address to provide location-based content, such as local news. They might use your browsing history to provide you with targeted adverts. And some search engines sort your search results using data from your browsing history to prioritise content that they think you'll be interested in. 

Websites use data from your digital footprint to provide you with this quite tailored service, so it can work to your advantage. However, you might have concerns about websites having this data about you. For example, if you share a computer with other people, you might not want your online activities to impact their online experience. 

So let's think now about ways to reduce the data that online services store about you. You could choose a search engine which does not track your searches. And the best known ones of those are DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. And we'll be talking more about Ecosia a bit later in the session. You could also select the private browsing option in your web browser. In Google Chrome, this is known as an incognito window. 

When you use these private browsing options, your search history isn't recorded. However, private browsing doesn't make you anonymous online. Although no search history is saved, your internet service provider, your employer, or the sites themselves can still gather information about the pages that you visit. 

So, as we said, your digital footprint also includes the information that you have chosen to share. And there's quite a nice quote from the National Protective Security Authority which kind of sums this up. "Every time you send an email, publish a blog, sign up for a newsletter, or post something on social media, you're actively contributing to your digital footprint." And what other people post about you also contributes to that digital footprint. 

You can uncover this part of your digital footprint by simply doing a search for yourself. So let's try that now. I would like you to search for your own name online. If you don't find information about yourself straight away, try entering your name in inverted commas or add some additional information to your search, such as your location. So please pause the recording now and spend about three minutes on this activity. When you are done, please return to the recording. 

So what did you find when you searched for yourself? Did anything surprise you? The extent of your digital footprint will depend on how you use the internet. When you perform tasks like purchasing something from an online store or searching for information on Google, you're not creating content which will be visible online. However, when you actively create content, even just a social media update, this content is linked to you and could be discovered by other people. And we'll consider why this matters in a moment. 

It is worth noting that different search engines are likely to return different results because they don't all search the same websites, and they each use their own criteria to sort what they find. After this session, you might, therefore, want to repeat this search for yourself using a different search engine, such as Bing, Ecosia, or DuckDuckGo. 

So why is it important to consider your digital footprint? Your digital footprint can shape what other people think about you. For example, it could impact you when you're looking for a job. And increasingly, employers screen their candidates online. A potential employer might check your digital footprint to verify information about your skills and experience or to assess whether you will fit in with the culture of their company or organisation. And sometimes, employers find content online that makes them think a candidate would be unsuitable. 

I'd like you to pause the recording for a moment and think about what type of content might worry a potential employer. You might want to make some notes. Then return to this session, and I'll share some of our ideas.

A YouGov survey, published by Smith in 2017, asked businesses what activities might put them off hiring potential candidates. Their answers included aggressive or offensive language, references to drunken behaviour or drug use, bad spelling or grammar, political views or activity that they thought were incompatible with the values of their organisations. Did you think of those or any others? 

As we've seen, sometimes, social media posts can have quite significant consequences. On this slide, we've listed three social media posts. All three posts are real, and all were viewed by the employers of the person who posted them. As I read out each of these posts, I would like you to think about whether the post got the person posting it into trouble with their employer. 

Post number one. "First day back at work. Office to myself. Music on loud. Another coffee break? #boredatwork." Post number two. Ms. Smith reposted an image which showed two blindfolded women sitting opposite each other. The caption read, "How management acts after you and coworkers clearly point out the issues at work," which implies that the management chose not to see their employees' concerns. 

And post number three. "Not going to lie. A lot of girls need to learn the art of class." Pause the video again now and make a note of which of those posts you think resulted in disciplinary action for the person who wrote them. Then come back to the video, and I'll reveal the answer. 

In fact, all three posts resulted in disciplinary action. In the second example, Ms. Smith was dismissed after she reposted a popular meme on Facebook. Her employer felt that the post reflected badly on the company and its management. The dismissal was ultimately overturned, but this case shows that even a repost can have quite massive consequences. 

The third example is a tweet from England cricketer Ollie Robinson. This tweet damaged Robinson's reputation and resulted in disciplinary action. The England Cricket Board CEO, Tom Harrison, commented, "I do not have the words to express how disappointed I am that an England men's player has chosen to write tweets of this nature." So the key message here is, whenever you post something online, it's sensible to consider your digital footprint. 

On the slide is a link to an article called Who Really Gets Fired Over Social Media Posts by Robards and Graf, published in 2022. This article appears on The Conversation website, which contains more real-life examples. The reference for this article is included in our list of references at the end of the presentation. 

So here are some do's and don'ts to consider before you post content online. So let's think about good practice. These are the things I think you should do. Do actively manage your accounts. Often, content that you created years ago is still visible, so I advise you to revisit old posts and edit or delete them if they don't reflect how you want to be perceived. You might want to consider creating separate professional and personal accounts. And remember, if you don't use a platform anymore, delete that old account. 

Do also review your privacy settings so you know who can view and share your content. The National Cybersecurity Centre have guidance called Social Media, How To Use It Safely, which includes useful advice on privacy settings for a range of social media platforms. 

Do choose your profile picture carefully. Choose one that reflects who you are and how you want to be perceived. Always consider your audience before you post or share anything. And remember, a potential employer might be reading. 

Do keep track of your friends and followers so you know who is reading and potentially sharing your posts, and do monitor content that other people are posting about you. You might want to set up a Google alert so that you get an email any time you're mentioned online. Go to google.com/alerts for more details. And always check the grammar and spelling of any posts that you make. So that's the good practice. 

Now, some things to avoid. Avoid posting when you're emotional. Be mindful of what you post, and consider the implications before posting anything personal or emotive. Don't post content that you wouldn't want a future employer to see. For example, avoid inappropriate language, ill-advised comments, or risky jokes, and avoid posts that criticise current or past employers. This is quite a common mistake, but one which might have consequences. 

Simon Cunnington, who's the managing director of a recruitment firm, BPS, made this comment. "Recently, we had an excellent candidate who seemed a perfect fit for one of our clients. We viewed their Facebook page only to see multiple messages from the candidate criticising their current employer." 

"To air this on social media is highly unprofessional and could make potential employers think twice, as it did in this case". The National Protective Security Authority have published My Digital Footprint: A Brief Guide, which contains more useful guidance. Please see the list of references at the end of this presentation for more information. 

So let's think now specifically about social media. Social media is a powerful tool and, used carefully, can help you in your work life and your studies. On this slide, we've provided a short list of social media sites that we find particularly useful. This isn't a comprehensive list, and there may well be more that you use that are also useful, but these are ones that we wanted to highlight. 

LinkedIn, which describes itself as the world's largest professional network. LinkedIn is great for networking. It's also useful for showcasing your skills, finding out about job vacancies, and training opportunities, so I definitely recommend having a look there. 

Micro-blogging sites, like BlueSky and Mastodon, are also really useful. They can help you to stay up to date in your subject area. One good tip is to follow key thinkers in your subjects or relevant companies or organisations. BlueSky is a relatively new platform, which has grown in popularity since X was taken over by Elon Musk. And Mastodon was launched in 2016. It's a non-profit platform which doesn't use algorithms to control your feeds and allows you to set separate privacy settings for each post so you can have real control over who sees your posts in Mastodon. 

YouTube is another social media site which can be very useful. It contains lots of useful educational content, including tutorials, in-depth discussions, and TED Talks. As I said, this isn't a comprehensive list. Are there any other social platforms that you find useful? 

I do want to stress, though, a word of warning. When using social media, it is crucial to remember that it might contain false and misleading information. So when reading information on any of these sites, make sure you know who is posting and why they are posting. What's their purpose? And ask yourself, do they have credibility in the area that they're posting about? 

On this slide, we have some real-life examples of how professionals have used social media to further their careers. The first quote is from Marketing Director Fernando Lopez, who says, "By including my social handles on my resume and building an online presence via a simple online portfolio, I was able to make myself stand out at a time when I was relatively green and inexperienced." In this example, Fernando Lopez used social media to showcase their marketing skills by including their usernames and creating an online CV. They directed their followers to content they had created specifically to showcase their skills and experience. 

In the second quote, Kylie Denk, who is an employer brand manager, shares tips that have helped further their career. "I make sure my About section is filled with what I do and believe professionally. Then I include hashtags that apply to the location, industry, and skills I'd like to highlight. My tip is to update your profile one to three times per year to make sure the information is relevant." These quotes all come from a CareerArc blog post called Landing Jobs on Social Media: 10 True Success Stories. 

This slide includes tips on how you can use social media to your advantage. Network. The opportunity to network is a big benefit of social media. As we've said, follow key thinkers in your subject area, which is a great way to stay up to date, and follow organisations, perhaps that you would like to work for. This can help you discover job and training opportunities. 

And optimise your profile. Use it to advertise your skills and experience, and remember to keep your profile up to date. Use hashtags to extend your reach and target your post. If you're job hunting, use the hashtag #opentowork, and you can choose whether you share this just with recruiters or with the whole network. 

Use your professional accounts to showcase digital and communication skills by posting content that is timely, relevant, and well thought out. And the tip is to look at the language and tone used by the network and reflect this in your own interactions. Basically, the advice is to use the platform to showcase exactly what you're capable of. 

On the slide, there are links where you can find further information. For example, Careers Wales have published advice on using social media to find jobs. And the OU Careers Service also have guidance called Your Online Presence and Your Career, which is available on the OU Help Centre. 

I want to finish this section by mentioning generative AI. Just as you should think carefully about what you post online, it is also important to consider carefully what you input into an AI tool. Always check the terms of use and privacy policies of any AI tools you use to understand how your data will be used. 

The OU has developed guidance to help you use AI tools responsibly and effectively to support your learning. We strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the Generative AI for Students guidance. This guidance includes information on what you are permitted to input into AI tools. You must not input confidential or personal information about any individual or organisation, including yourself and the Open University. 

Also, be cautious about inputting copyrighted material. You are only permitted to do so with permission from the copyright holder or your module team, unless you are using Microsoft Copilot in protected mode or a tool provided as a reasonable adjustment for a disability. Protected mode in Microsoft Copilot is a privacy feature that lets you use the tool in a more confidential way. When protected mode is turned on, Copilot doesn't save your conversation history or use your inputs to train the tool. In practise, this means your chats aren't stored on Microsoft servers, and Copilot won't remember anything you've discussed once the session ends. 

We do encourage you to use AI tools to support your learning. But remember, you must check your module guidance to see if AI use is permitted for any assessed work. If you want to find out more about AI, you might find our Exploring Generative AI: Critical Skills and Ethical Use session useful. You can find details of this and our other library sessions on the library website under the Training and Events tab. Also, the generative AI pathway on our Being Digital platform includes various short, practical online activities. 

So that's the end of the section on your digital footprint. We're going to move on now to consider your digital carbon footprint. Digital carbon footprints refer to the carbon released from making and using digital technology. The devices you use and the actions you take online use energy and generate emissions. The good news is that you can take simple actions to reduce that environmental impact. And even small actions add up, particularly when multiplied by thousands of users. 

So we'll now consider how you can reduce the environmental impact of some common online tasks. Let's start with email. Just think for a moment about your email inbox. Does it contain thousands of emails, and will you ever really read them again? Emails use energy when you send them, receive them, and when you store them, so you might be wasting energy in storing those emails that you no longer need. 

It's true. A single message uses a tiny amount of energy. But multiplied by thousands, it does all add up. So reducing the number of emails you send, receive, and store is an easy way to reduce your digital carbon footprint. Here are a few tips to help you. 

Avoid using that Reply All option. When you reply to multiple people, you multiply the energy used to send that email to all those inboxes. Only reply to people who really need your message. Unsubscribe from any mailing lists and newsletters that you don't read. I know I'm guilty of that. 

Avoid sending unnecessary emails, such as thank you emails. According to OVO Energy, if every adult in the UK sent one less thank you email a day, we could save over 16 tonnes of carbon a year. And avoid sending attachments via email. Send links to shared documents instead. 

Let's consider now the carbon footprint of data storage. Online data is stored in data centres, which require energy to power and to cool. However, we often store data and never access it again, so here are a few tips to reduce the amount of data you store. Review your stored files regularly and get into the habit of deleting any that aren't used. 

One folder that is often forgotten is your Downloads folder, which can quickly become full of downloaded files. So check that downloaded folder regularly, and delete any content that you no longer need. If you're working with other people on a file, make sure you all work on a single shared document rather than everyone saving their own copy. This makes it easier to keep track of changes, as well as reducing the number of stored files. 

Let's move on now to consider the environmental impact of online searches. Each search that you perform has an environmental impact. Think for a moment about your favourite websites, like the library catalogue or your module site. Do you search for them each time you visit? Searches like these are probably not necessary, so here are a few tips to reduce the number of searches you need to do. 

Bookmark sites that you visit regularly, rather than repeatedly searching for them. If you know the URL of a site, use it. Typing the URL or web address uses about 35% less energy than performing a search. Make sure any search that you do perform is really precise. This will reduce the number of searches you need to perform. You might want to add minus AI to your search to avoid getting the automatic AI-generated summaries of your search results. 

You could also consider using the Ecosia search engine. Ecosia use 100% of their profits for climate action. They also have strong privacy principles. They don't track their users. Search queries are anonymized and not linked to your identity, so another good reason to use them. 

Let's now consider the carbon footprint of AI tools. AI tools, as we've said, can be useful study aids, but they do have a significant environmental impact. When you ask a chatbot a question or generate an image, that request is processed in a data centre, which needs large amounts of electricity and water to keep the servers running and cool. 

The good news is that if you are thoughtful in your use of AI, you can reduce this impact. So craft your prompts carefully. The fewer prompts you input, the more sustainable your use. Choose lower impact alternatives where possible. For example, a standard web search uses less energy than an AI tool. 

Image generation is particularly energy intensive. So before creating an AI-generated image, please check to see if a suitable image already exists in one of the Library's image databases. If you do decide an AI-generated image is necessary, avoid tweaking your image multiple times, as this multiplies the environmental cost. Do a bit of research about the different AI tools, and choose one with a lower environmental impact. 

On a more positive note, AI tools can help us to live more sustainably. In the context of studying, you could use a GenAI tool to ensure you're using your device in the most energy-efficient way. I asked Copilot how to reduce the environmental impact of creating this PowerPoint presentation, and it provided lots of practical suggestions, such as limiting the number of animations and images, closing unnecessary tabs and apps on my device, and working in normal view rather than presenter view. 

And we'll finish this section by considering the environmental impact of books and journals. We're often asked whether it's better for the environment to read in print or online. There isn't a simple answer. The overall environmental impact depends on how books and devices are produced, used, and disposed of. 

For print resources, the main environmental impacts come from paper production, printing, and transportation. Their footprint can vary depending on factors such as the type of paper, ink, and font used, packaging and transport methods, the size of the print run, and how publishers deal with unsold copies. Online resources avoid the environmental impacts of paper production, printing, and physical shipping, but accessing digital content relies on electronic devices. 

And making those devices has a significant environmental cost. Device manufacturing and transport are energy intensive. Devices consume electricity throughout their use. And disposal at end of life also has environmental impacts. And all of these factors contribute to the carbon footprint of our online resources. 

But there are actions that we can all take to reduce the environmental impact of the resources that we read. Keep electronic devices for as long as possible and recycle them responsibly at the end of their life. Use energy efficiency settings on your device and green energy if possible. If you are going to read a digital source more than once, it is usually better for the environment to download it rather than repeatedly read it online. 

When you read a source online, your device exchanges data with remote servers, such as data content centres and content delivery networks. Each new visit or refresh triggers more data transfer. By contrast, downloading a PDF transfers that data just once, and any subsequent reading happens locally on your device, which reduces the energy use. If you prefer to read in print, use libraries or shared print copies wherever possible, and pass on your print books to other readers rather than sending them to landfill. 

So I'd like you to pause the video again now and spend the next three minutes taking steps to reduce your digital carbon footprint. Choose one or two of the tips that I've just shared. I've put some suggestions on the slide. For example, you might choose to bookmark your favourite sites, delete some unused files, make Ecosia your default search engine, or ask an AI tool for tips to reduce the environmental impact of an upcoming task. Pause the video now while you make those changes. 

On this slide, we've provided details of some short interactive activities which will help you to explore this topic further. The Developing a Good Digital Footprint activity shows you what a digital footprint is and how you can improve it. Engaging With Blogs, X, and LinkedIn introduces you to the responsible use of different social media platforms in the context of building and managing your digital footprint. And the Digital Sustainability Pathway on Being Digital discusses the environmental impact of everyday online activities and tools and shares ways to minimise that impact. And you can find links to all these activities on the page where you are viewing this video. 

This slide is a reminder about the library help desk. If you ever need any further advice, please do contact the library help desk. There's a link to the help desk on each page of the website. Our phones are staffed 9:00 to 5:00 Monday to Friday, or you can send us an email. We also have a web chat service, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

So during this session, we've explored what a digital footprint is and how it is created, and we considered how that footprint can influence how other people see you. And we've also identified ways to build a positive image on social media. We then moved on to think about digital sustainability. We explored the environmental impact of common online tasks, and we identified simple steps that we can all take to reduce our digital carbon footprint. 

We've come to the end of the session now. I really hope you found it useful and interesting. The session slides are available to download on this page, and this list of references includes further details of the sources we used to inform this session. Thank you so much for listening.