{"id":198,"date":"2026-04-24T21:45:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T04:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru314\/?p=198"},"modified":"2026-04-26T09:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T16:26:14","slug":"curating-a-digital-self-an-audit-of-my-online-presence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru314\/curating-a-digital-self-an-audit-of-my-online-presence\/","title":{"rendered":"Curating a Digital Self: An Audit of My Online Presence"},"content":{"rendered":"
Categories: <\/span>LRNT 521<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n
\"Claire<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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If you search my name, Claire Guiot<\/em>, you\u2019ll mostly find me. Aside from a French actress with a slightly different spelling, what appears online is overwhelmingly my<\/em> digital identity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the advantage (and responsibility) of having a relatively unique name. My search results form a tight, highly visible snapshot of who I am, which means the content attached to my name carries weight. As Danah Boyd (2010) discusses, these \u201cdigital bits\u201d about me are both persistent and searchable, affordances that can be pros or cons depending on the context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these search results are from content that I posted online and some were published by other people. Together, they form a fragmented, unintentional public record. It\u2019s the visible portion of my \u201cdatafied self\u201d (Rowland & Estevens, 2024) where algorithms curate a profile of me based on digital bits or traces that exist mostly beyond my direct control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog post audits my current digital presence across platforms where I represent both myself and others, with the goal of understanding how my professional identity is constructed, where it is fragmented, and what tensions exist within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mapping My Current Digital Presence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To better understand my online identity, I\u2019ve divided my presence into two categories: spaces where I represent myself<\/em> and spaces where I represent others<\/em>. Digital traces of me published by others are beyond my control, but the content is also benign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where I Represent Myself<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Topic<\/strong><\/th>Platform<\/strong><\/th>Notes<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Teaching<\/td>claireguiot.com, MALAT blog<\/td>Developing a more intentional voice in educational leadership<\/td><\/tr>
Teaching<\/td>Medium articles, LinkedIn profile<\/td>Inconsistent attempts to engage in online community<\/td><\/tr>
Design<\/td>claireguiot.com<\/td>Core professional portfolio for freelance graphic and UX design work<\/td><\/tr>
Design<\/td>coroflot.com, behance.com<\/td>Third-party portfolio websites with old content <\/td><\/tr>
Art\/Hobbies<\/td>Instagram<\/td>Informal sharing of art projects with the creative community (no personal info shared)<\/td><\/tr>
Personal Life<\/td>Private groups (e.g., WhatsApp)<\/td>Deliberately limited and controlled<\/td><\/tr>
Personal Life<\/td>Facebook<\/td>Some personal posts shared publicly over the last 20 years. Nothing damaging but still public and personal.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I have historically been more of a social media observer than an active contributor, participating inconsistently and intentionally limiting the visibility of my private life. In this sense, I\u2019ve primarily taken a \u201cVisitor\u201d approach (Le Cornu & White, 2011), using the web as a tool for specific purposes without leaving much of a digital presence behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years ago, I committed to reflecting on my career with the goal of making some intentional changes. From this process, I decided to complete a graduate program and began developing a teaching portfolio website to consolidate my work and articulate a clearer academic voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reflection has required me to more actively consider how I appear online. My site, claireguiot.com, serves as both a teaching and design portfolio and represents a move toward a more \u201cResident\u201d mode of engagement (Le Cornu & White, 2011), where my professional digital identity is more intentional. While my personal presence remains limited, my professional identity is increasingly public, though still evolving and in need of further curation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where I Represent Others<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Topic<\/strong><\/th>Platform<\/strong><\/th>Notes<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Client Work<\/td>Various websites<\/td>Public-facing, but not attributed to me<\/td><\/tr>
North Island College Department<\/td>Facebook, Instagram, learndigital.dev<\/td>Collaborative, institutional voice. Sometimes posts feature me or my name.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I have designed and developed numerous client websites, yet my authorship is largely invisible. Similarly, my contributions to social media are often tied to organizations rather than my individual identity. This significant portion of my work exists online but is not publicly connected to my name so it does not meaningfully contribute to my digital identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaps and Tensions in My Digital Identity\/Digital Presence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This audit reveals several key gaps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n