Chapter 19: Digital Identity

So, the digital world is all around us. We have role playing games, we have business profiles, such as Linkedin. Most of all we have social networks, such as Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram.

Have you ever thought about your digital profile? Your online presence? I have (recently), by watching some youtube videos and reading some articles. One of the articles I read stated that some employers are required to do online research about an applicant before he or she is hired. In that same article it talked about employers requiring employees/applicants to supply usernames and passwords to their social network sites. It talked about how this would allow the bosses to access information about you that you would rather keep private. It was also mentioned how this action of requiring passwords could influence the company in their hiring/firing decisions.

For employers to require usernames and passwords is, in my opinion, unethical. If a potential employer wants me to give them my username and password, I don't want to work for them. I do not feel comfortable giving them the power to change anything about my profile, or about them having access to personal information about my family.

The other article I read dealt extensively with Locke's Memory Theory. This theory states (in part) that if you have a memory of something, then you must have experienced it. According to the theory, the converse is also true: if you can't remember something, then you must not have experienced it.
I disagree. Memory fades for various reasons. We choose to forget. We grow older. Who among us remembers being a 1-year-old? Yet, obviously we were at some point or we would not be here now. Just because we can't remember a thing doesn't mean that we never experienced it. Another example would be dreams. Many is the time that I wake up, knowing that I dreamt, but retaining no memory of the details of said dream. The fact that I have no memory of the dream doesn't mean I didn't have it.

So, what does all this have to do with Digital Identity? How does this affect me and my online profile? I think that everybody can take steps to protect themselves. Personally, I plan on doing a little experiment. Let's call it 'unplugging'. this experiment will consist of 'unplugging' myself from technology (as far as possible. I am a college student in a digital age, after all. I still need to do homework) for a week or so and see how well I can live without it. Wish me luck!