What is an ‘Online Reputation'?

What is an ‘Online Reputation'?

In our Online Safety workshops I ask young people “What is an online reputation, and why should this affect you are your age?”

I am often met with a sea of blank or confused faces so I explain…
The things that you ‘like’ online, post, share, comment on and tagged people in, may shape what others think about you; this is your online reputation.

Inevitably the next comment made is “I don’t care what others think of me”.

It is at this point I clarify that your online reputation is really important, not only does it shape what people think about it, but it could reflect how they behave around you. Long term, it could impact the colleges or universities you are accepted to, or what occupation you are able to do.

Many organisations now look through your social media to see if your values and ethics align with that of the educational facility or company. Social media profiles are a great way for places to decide whether you are the right ‘fit’ for them and if they don’t, your application may not be processed.

Queue, shocked faces… “But surely I can post what I like if my privacy settings are on?”

A ‘Digital footprint’ is the mark we leave behind every time we interact on the internet. Whilst having our privacy settings set the highest is extremely important, it is not a guarantee that your content is secure. Your friends or followers could screenshot your content and share it, or you could comment on a public forum allowing anyone to read your views or opinions.

I ask if they were employing or recruiting someone and they saw someone posting inappropriate content about racism, nudity, using excessive bad language or displaying bullying behaviours, would they take them on?

There is always a resounding “No”.

And that is why it is important we have to think about our online reputation, even from young age!
Finally I explain that if you have posted something, which you now regret, don’t panic! Take it down as quickly as possible, to limit the possibility of it getting shared on. If you think you might have upset somebody with what you shared, reach out and remember that saying sorry can be really powerful and if it does come up in the future, be honest, explaining you have learned from your mistake.

Top Tips
- Google yourself regularly to see what your digital footprint looks like
- Check your privacy settings on all the platforms you use to ensure you’re protecting the content you share.
- Think carefully before posting – it could be online forever!
- Delete old accounts which you no longer use to remove out-of-date content from your digital footprint.
- Make a positive digital footprint!!!