Whenever you interact with online content your activities are not entirely private. You leave a digital footprint when you access websites, search Google, or download and interact with apps. What kind of impact can this have on your life? Why should you care? This section will help you become more aware of issues around digital privacy and will identify areas that might be of particular concern to you.

An increasing number of employers are using social media to screen job applicants. While some content on public social media can harm your chances of being hired, other content may make you stand out as a potential asset for a company.

Poorly thought out, inappropriate, or offensive messages on social media can have serious consequences. The article “How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life” focuses on the story of a public relations professional who sent out, on her personal account, a tweet that was interpreted as being racist and insensitive (Ronson, 2015). Despite having only 170 Twitter followers, within hours her tweet became the number one worldwide trend on Twitter and received tens of thousands of angry responses. Sacco lost her job, had employees of a hotel threaten to strike if she stayed there, and received criticism from her family. Months after the incident, after being limited in where she could find employment, she was still under scrutiny for her career choices. She even found it challenging to date as people would look her up online and see the negative and controversial things that had been written about her.