I find it oddly comforting that if I want to discover information about a person, I can find a lot of it online. As a more introverted person with an innate curiosity of other people, the web provides as a wonderful means of attaining information and doing some people watching via the comfort of my own home. And I do not think I am alone. In many levels of interaction within society, we are compelled to google those people, with whom, we are fascinated. Whether it be a love interest, a colleague or a new friend, we tend to want to know all that we can know about that person. I am not sure this is fair, but it is the nature of our world. Fortunately or unfortunately, a great deal of information can be found in the world about virtually anyone. It is at once comforting and disturbing. But how comfortable should we be with the knowledge that anything that is written about us or content that is created by us can be found online? The internet is not a playground where we are immune from impunity, especially for those of us whose professional lives dwell online and in person.
As for my own digital footprint, there is a legacy of photos, videos and music that I have created since I was 19 or 20. I have been a part of indie, lo-fi music making for over a decade now. It has been a passion that I have carefully balanced with work and school. I believe that it adds a layer to my personality and life-experience and I do not regret it one bit. I only perhaps wish that I had had more time to devote to it more fully. Regardless, when you search for my name the first 4 or 5 results are related to my music. And that is ok! I love making music and I am not ashamed or embarrassed. It is a historical record of my time as a young person and I still continue to make music to this day. I look forward to, however, advancing my professional online presence and developing a digital footprint that will help me succeed in the future as a Religious Studies instructor and an Education Technologist.
Julian A. Elorduy, MET, MA 