Digital Legacy

Digital Legacy. A memento of what gets left behind once we all kick the bucket inevitably. Everyone dies, sorry to break the news to all optimists out there. Not a single human on earth can avoid death, thus most tend to fear what lies beyond our time on this earth. Call me a downer, but few things remain constant after one dies from various means. What you post online is there forever. Now, I understand this gets uttered a little too often. When Digital Citizenship is brought into the equation, this is always something that folks always say first. The real question is, how many people realize what forever means? The definition of forever is simply: “for all future time; for always”. Always is obviously a long time.

So why should I, the average joe, be concerned about what is kept around once I’m gone? Well, the problem lies in the fact that many good things will be kept of you online, and so will many poor decision. For example, that family photo album on facebook will be there for future generations to see. Social networking and the internet as a whole, when used correctly, can be considered a gigantic archive. You grandchildren’s grandchildren will be able to get online and see what life was like for great-great grandpa’s life was like growing up in the 21st century. That is simply amazing to think about. At the same time, anything you posted online that was negative is sticking around. Even after you “delete” something, it is still nestled in the innards of the internet. With enough digging, every comment you left on any status can be found. So with this information, we start to regard the internet as a blackmailing device instead of a benevolent archive. So perspective is definitely a factor here.

Well the internet is a beautiful thing created for complex and beautiful people. When regarded in the positive sense, the internet and everything found on it is a wonderful gift that should be treasured and valued. Not taken advantage of. A problem that faces today’s generation is the belief that we are an invincible people with nothing to protect us more than a computer screen. Well, sorry to burst any prideful bubbles here but the internet is less of a shield, and more of a Benedict Arnold. For those who do not know, Benedict Arnold was a general during the Revolutionary War who went rogue and joined the Brits. so let’s regard the internet as a traitor. You may feel invincible behind a screen, but the person you are slandering and/or fighting has the exact same “shield” in front of them. Your protection is being offered to your combatant, and that levels the playing field. So why not just save petty fights for reality? The world may never know.

So why was this topic chosen? Well, I personally feel as if Digital Legacy is the “redheaded stepchild” of the Digital Leadership family. I feel like this topic doesn’t get the attention nor the praise it so rightfully deserves. So this is a blog about Digital Legacy

Posted by Casey Williams, Junior, Madison Consolidated Schools