Having grown up through the ’90s, the social media I had access to is quite different than what is available to kids today. I remember my dad telling me to be careful when using MSN messenger, not to input personal information like birthday, but now we face a world where personal information is more readily available than ever, and privacy can be hard to come by. After hearing Jesse Miller speak about digital identity, rights, and literacy, I realize just how different the world is compared to how I grew up, and how careful we must be with our social media and internet usage. Our personal information is worth a lot to companies because they can use it to generate stats and algorithms pertaining to marketing and advertising. Some of these companies may not even be in our own country, so it’s important for us to be aware. Even without social media, iPhones and other devices are constantly listening to our conversations and tracking our locations. Jesse Miller shared that if we are connected to a wifi signal, the provider can get access to our screen. It’s a little unsettling to talk about all of this, at least it was for me. However, as digital technology is now built into our culture, we must move forward and learn to be conscious of our usage.

Aa a teacher, this information is important because we must protect the digital identity of our students. We must be sure not to share any pictures or personal information of our students online. We must also model proper etiquette when using social media, which I believe is especially important. Informing students of the dangers of relying on social media to fill an emotional need is also something I would like to address to my classes. But with all this gloom, there is, of course, great benefits to being so connected, especially in the world of education.