Digital footprint
Overview
A digital footprint is the trail of data left behind by your activity on the internet. Social media posts, comments, likes, search history, purchase history from online shopping, website browsing history: what you do online can be recorded in some form. Like footprints left on a sandy beach, traces of what you do remain on the internet too.
Active and passive footprints
Digital footprints fall into two types. An active footprint is data you leave on purpose. Information you chose to make public, such as social media posts, question box answers, and blog posts, falls into this type.
A passive footprint is data left without you being aware of it. Website browsing history (cookies), location data, records of IP addresses, and app usage data fall into this type. Sending a question to a question box also leaves a passive footprint, in the sense that the sender's IP address is recorded on the server.
The footprint question box answers leave
When you share a question box answer on social media, it remains as an active digital footprint. Even if you delete the post, it may still exist in followers' screenshots, web archives, and search engine caches.
Recruiters sometimes check candidates' social media during job hunting or job changes. Your past question box answers could affect your career years later. The habit of asking yourself before posting, "Would it be okay if this answer were read five years from now?", is the first step toward acting with your digital footprint in mind.
Managing your digital footprint
You can't bring your digital footprint down to zero, but you can manage it. Regularly search for your name and username to see what information is public. Delete old posts you no longer need. Review your privacy settings and limit who can see your posts as appropriate.
When running a question box, always keep in mind whether the content of an answer could work against your future self. Answers written while you're emotional, in a late-night mood, or while drinking are ones you may regret when you reread them the next morning. The habit of saving important answers as drafts and posting them after some time has passed improves the quality of your digital footprint.