Introduce Your Resource: My favorite resource for my Side Quest is an article titled “Digital Footprint: What It Is and Why It Matters”, published by Aratek. The article doesn’t list a single named author. It is a web-based article that provides a detailed explanation of digital footprints, their significance, and the ways in which people can manage them in their everyday lives.
Prime Resource: I think this article is my most valuable resource because it provides a well-rounded overview of what a digital footprint is. The article is simple to follow and bridges the gap between theory and practice. It introduces the concept of both active footprints (like social media posts and blog comments) and passive footprints (like cookies, IP addresses, and browsing data collected without consent). This distinction helped build my understanding of how much of our online presence is under our control and how much is created in the background.
Making Connections: The Aratek article directly connects to my research because it breaks down the function and meaning of digital footprints. My focus is not only on what a digital footprint is, but also why they matter. It explains how personal data trails affect privacy, reputation, and even professional opportunities. It also draws attention to risks like identity theft, surveillance, and targeted advertising. I think these themes fit perfectly within the scope of digital storytelling and web design, since the way websites are built (through tracking mechanisms like cookies or fingerprinting) is central to how footprints are formed.
Reflections: I think this resource gives me valuable insight going forward into the dangers of website tracking and how I can protect my online privacy. It gave me a better understanding of how journalists can not only protect their own digital footprints, but also educate the public about online privacy. When reporting on technology, social media, or data privacy, I can use the information from this article to make these issues more understandable to the public.
The Aratek article helped me understand that a digital footprint is not just an abstract concept but a living, evolving image of someone’s identity. Managing these footprints is something every journalist should be mindful of in both reporting and practice.