During this week’s lessons, we were tasked with reflecting on the development of personal and professional digital identities, as well as creating and sharing with our peers a digital ‘visitor and resident’ map. In this blog post I will discuss my thoughts regarding said topics.
Creating and sharing a digital ‘visitor and resident’ map
A digital visitor and resident map, also referred to as a V&R map, is a concept created by David S. White (2017) that is materialized by curating a digital depiction of an individual’s engagement in the metaverse in relation to two spectrums: visitor, i.e., someone who leaves no digital trail, versus resident, i.e., someone who leaves some sort of presence behind in a given digital community; and personal versus professional uses of the digital tool in question.
I took part in this exercise by creating my own digital map, which I will refrain from sharing, in an effort to maintain my digital privacy, but I will, however, share what stood out the most during this activity, and that is how vastly different people can interpret the application of various platforms. For instance, I perceive the search engine Google as lying directly in the middle of the map because I use it equally as much for both personal and professional search inquires, and I leave behind a fairly large cookie crumb trail through my clicks and time spent lingering, but at the same time, there is no profile per say that encompasses an overview of my online search journeys. Shockingly, however, I found that my classmates placed Google searches on the far left end of the spectrum, toward ‘visitor’. I find this interesting as it reflects the subjectivity of the expansion of one’s own presence on digital platforms.
What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?
I think that students are currently using LinkedIn as well as the typically ‘personal’ oriented networks, such as Instagram and Facebook. I think it depends on the intentions of the individual. For instance, if the student is in marketing, they will be more likely to use Instagram to network with professionals in their field, than someone who is say a biology student, who may stick to the traditional emailing platform.
What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?
I think that students should consider utilizing all of the their resources, such as employing the traditionally personal networking platforms, again, such as Instagram and Facebook, to their advantage. If there is a fresh angel that can be used to grow their network, they should be tapping into that – no stone left unturned.
How does data privacy and security limit and/or promote a PLN?
Personally, I have experienced obstacles while building my PLN due to data privacy and security, specifically trying to connect with professionals via email. I find that more and more, people are reluctant to advertise an email that they can be reached at, to avoid getting solicitors, bots, or angry people in their inbox. I understand the desire to keep out said emails, but at the same time, it is difficult to grow your PLN when the most recognized form of communication in the professional world is often emailing.
On the other hand, as mentioned, data privacy and security does act as a filter for those pesky unwanted communications, which I think is a necessary tool in today’s bot-filled society.
In your network, how can you create a digital identity/ reputation?
If we’re solely discussing a ‘good’ reputation, then I think the necessary steps would be to start by establishing your identity, i.e., who are you, why are you here, what are your values and goals, etc.; and then, to reach out and grow your network to make yourself known to the right audience.
Consider how an employer would respond if you applied for a job with them and they assessed your social media presence via your digital identity
I think an employer would find that my social media presence is quite vague and minimal. I stick to two social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook. On Instagram, my account is private and my profile picture is not a photo of myself, nor does my username confirm my identify, whereas on Facebook, again, most of my content is private, with the only publicly available information being a professional photo of myself and my name, but the name is shortened.
References:
White, D. (2017). V&R mapping. David White. https://daveowhite.com/vandr/vr-mapping/