Hear me out. Many of us have gleefully chuckled at Timothée Chalamet’s pre-fame YouTube vids, but there’s a lesson in them. His seemingly harmless digital footprint has followed him for years and there’s much fodder in it for us to paw through! I’ve been on a mission to reclaim and tamp down my online footprint for years and one way to measure my progress is to periodically type my name into the old search bar. I was delighted to see books I worked on, articles I’m quoted in, my website, a few obits, and little else. Given that I once had multiple blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, MySpace, and Twitter, it was a relief to feel like I have a more nuanced and controlled image / narrative of my online self. Yeah it’s a little navelgazey, but I’m on the job market and in my 30s, so it makes sense to be on top of this stuff.
Open your social media profiles to public scrutiny and confront the global stage like a grown up. Embrace your digital footprint, and hold on to it steadfastly with pride.
