Self awareness, or personal awareness, is not just a handy skill for use online, but it is also an important skill to master in the real world. Self awareness, at its core, is having a clear understanding of yourself. This includes your strengths, weaknesses, and attitudes. Recognizing your capacities, abilities, and limits as a human person is the first step to shaping yourself as a better individual. Personal awareness enables you to comprehend the thoughts and emotions of you and others around you.

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Similarly, self awareness on the internet means being able to understand your own voice, what you're good at, and what you have still got to learn. Online, it is important to act responsibly as one false move could extensively damage your future.

 

With technology and social media platforms continuing to serve as a basis for modern society, your activity on the web can be retrieved effortlessly by nearly anybody. Anyone, even complete strangers can tell a considerable amount about you via your digital footprint. It’s entirely possible that you are notifying the general public what you look like, where you work or attend school, where you have been, your contacts, your hobbies, and even your opinions on particular topics (e.g. political views).

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There are many reasons for being aware of your digital footprint, and they mostly full under the umbrella of protecting yourself. Digital permanence links in closely with the idea of protecting your reputation. Anything you do, see, or post on the web will be on there forever. Unlike the real world, any activity online from even decades ago can be pulled up with a simple search. Ruining your reputation on the internet is a surefire way of losing a job position or college opportunities.

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But it's not just that you have to worry about. Even if you have nothing to hide, not everything about you will be appropriate to every audiences. Say you searched up on the topic of bankruptcy only because you were interested on the subject matter. A third party may view that as a hint that you have poor financial management. Reputation is a social judgement or opinion that other people may have about you diluted by forgetfulness and forgiveness. However, you can't rely on the internet for any of those. You need to ensure that your hands are clean by protecting your reputation online.

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"In the future, your digital footprint

will carry far more weight than anything

you put on your resume."

-Chris Betcher                    

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