The image above represents a map of digital technology use divided into four quadrants. The idea comes from White and Le Cornu’s assertion that people’s use of the Web consists of ‘Resident’ and ‘Visitor’ mindsets. ‘Visitors’ to the internet use it as a tool and leave a relatively small imprint behind, whereas ‘Residents’ invest time, create relationships, and create a much more visible presence online (White & Le Cornu).
My map illustrates a more prominent ‘resident’ role in my work life using Google Suite. It is quite literally my ‘home’ when at work. All my classes are on Google Classroom, and most assignments are created or housed in Google Drive.
Socially, my footprint is somewhat less. I have two social media platforms where my privacy settings are quite high, and I only post on rare occasions.
What surprised me most was YouTube. Personally and professionally, I frequently use it and have subscribed to various channels, making me more visible than I realized.
Reflecting on my digital usage and ‘footprint’, I am satisfied with where I am, although I know that this map has captured only a moment in time. The interesting question is, how will this map look in two, five, or ten years’ time?
References
White, D. S., & Le Cornu, A. (2011). Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i9.3171
Hi Terry,
Thank you for sharing! How do you foresee this program changing your digital footprint? Do the different sizes of the platforms represent correlate to the time spent on them?
Hi Tim,
Thanks for bringing the ‘size’ issue up. I did want to have the size correlate to the significance each platform has both in my personal and professional domain; I forgot to mention that.
As for this program and its impact on my digital footprint; I believe the knowledge I gain regarding assessing and analyzing tools and platforms will help develop my presence in a more meaningful way. I see in the future perhaps sharing resources I create more widely (via creative commons or some other type of sharing tool). I’m excited to find out!