Anna Kieltyka

Dr. Amber Strother

English 170

18 February 2019

Digital Identity Analysis

By typing your name into google, thousands of results show up that are accessible to

anyone who wants to see. Everything I do on the internet comes up in that search whether it

leaves a positive or negative impression. Today, the internet and technology play a large role in

the millennial life. Many impressions are created from the way I use the internet, and how people

choose to perceive me is solely up to them. By using technology, a digital world is created that is

impossible to escape. From conducting a digital identity analysis of myself, I was able to learn

all about how people view me from an outside perspective. There is not a lot of privacy

associated with the internet, and now more than ever I am realizing just how much the internet

influences my life and creates a new identity of who I am as a person. This analysis showed me

just how careful you have to be when it comes to the internet, specifically the impact that other

people have on MY digital identity.

I engage with technology all day, every day. Through tracking my digital usage, and

seeing my screen time on my iPhone, I realized just how much I am actually interacting with

technology. The primary ways I use my phone are for social media: Snapchat, Messages,

Instagram, Twitter, etc. Last week alone I used social networking for fifteen hours and thirty-

four minutes. Snapchat ranked number one: nine hours and forty-seven minutes. From these

numbers, I learned just how much I interact with people by hiding behind a phone. Through my

social media accounts, it is my goal to make them as “me” as possible. All over social media you
 Kieltyka 2

see people trying to be people that they are not. I learned that as long as you stay true to yourself,

and are happy with yourself, then you will have a positive digital identity. I want employers,

friends, family, and even strangers to agree that what I am putting on social media is myself.

Even if I spend hours a day looking to see the next status or snap the next person, I know that I

have created a virtual world that reflects me.

I have not always had a digital identity, but now with a simple google search of my name

108,000 results show up. Yes, some of these results are from my own doing on social media, but

another large amount is from what other people are saying about me. Throughout high school I

was a three-sport athlete, and now my name is associated with those sports. A google search of

my name will allow an outside person to see videos, highlight reels, pictures, stats, and articles

all about my time as an athlete. This is a big part of my google search as well as social media

accounts, because it was such a big part of my life. I created a real-world identity associated with

my athletic ability, but I now have a large part of that on the internet too. The internet is allowing

people to form opinions and learn about who you are before you even have the chance to meet

them in person. It is a shame that more and more the world is shifting to these opinions. Gone are

the times of meeting face to face for the first time; now, people seem to know you before you

even shake their hand. My digital identity does come across as positive, but as I continue

throughout my collegiate career, I will now remain aware of how people will react to what I post

on the internet.

Social influence stemmed from my involvement in athletics in high school. Throughout

my athletic career, articles were posted about me that the whole world could see if they searched

my name. People were posting about me and encouraging my digital identity in a good way.

Many people could see how I was preforming through written online newspaper articles and
 Kieltyka 3

Hudl film videos. Family members, friends, coaches, and recruiters could all see my stats and

performance very quickly. I enjoyed sharing these posts to get more exposure. Without

technology, I would not have been able to be noticed by so many people. Now, not being an

athlete, much of that online data about me is now out of date. That simple google search still

brings up all of my athletic accomplishments, but that is not how I would define myself today. I

am no longer an athlete, but I can see how big of an influence athletics were in my life forever

now, thanks to technology.

The above examples bring to life my digital identity. It is as if I have a whole different

identity than I do in person. I have tried to only be perceived in a positive light through social

media, and I believe that I have achieved that goal. My digital identity begun creation around

middle school. I can remember when I made my Instagram account very vividly. It was blowing

up, and everybody my age was making an account and creating their own digital identities. This

along with my Mom’s Facebook account began to be the platforms my friends and family could

see me on. It was a whole new world from the one that I was living in. My posts were all sports

and friends related and allowed me to share important accomplishments in my life. I was just

excited to be sharing with people and communicating in what seemed like a “big girl” way. My

digital identity began to grow throughout high school and I added new social media platforms to

the list. It was then that I realized that it was not just me who controlled my digital identity, but

so many more people in my life played a role as well.

My future will be very dependent on a positive digital footprint. It will be important for

landing job opportunities, scholarships, internships and more. It was so important that from the

beginning of my digital days that I did everything I could to make a positive image of myself.

Sometimes, you only have one opportunity at something and it could all be taken away by the
 Kieltyka 4

employer seeing a bad post, or a bad google search. I believe that I have done everything I need

to by surrounding myself with good people who will only help benefit my image, and by myself

who knows how important it is to not post anything that could hurt your “real identity”. Today,

your digital identity can be the first impression of your true self, so I take pride in knowing that I

am doing my part to maintain a positive image of myself because the whole world is watching.