Digital Identity
Building Blocks for Domain of One’s Own: A series of adaptable modules
Goal
Introduce concepts about how online identity is created, managed, and represented.
Sections
Activity
Google Yourself! Write a Third Person biography of yourself based on what you find. And include pictures!
Questions
- What are the top websites and apps that you use daily?
- How much time do you spend on your phone or online?
- In the past 4-5 years, how has your activity online changed?
- Do you ever self-censor online? (If so, which sites and why?)
- Have you ever actively removed content because of concerns about how it reflected on your digital identity? Why?
Instructor Guide
It’s a good idea that you Google yourself, as the instructor, before class, and participate in the activity with the students. Allow yourself to answer these questions, as well, and share your answers and really participate in the conversation. Another option is to let the students Google you and write a biography collaboratively. This activity is designed to begin the exercise of understanding and crafting a critically-minded digital identity. If a student has nothing online, what does this mean? If you have nothing, what does that mean? These are important starting points for the conversation around digital identity that will be addressed in subsequent units.
Customize It!
Google an author (living) you are studying in class, or a relative. See what the results are.
