My Online Footprint
I terms of an online footprint that I have, I'd say that it is relatively big. I use the internet every day, whether for work or to play video games, not to mention that I do have social media as well. I do use Google and Google Chrome for every search that I do, and I do know that it would be easy for find out all my searches if someone really wanted to, but I am not overly scared of what they would find. If someone really would go through the trouble to see what I search just to see YouTube, and whatever dumb questions I may look up, I wouldn't freak out unless they obviously hacked information like passwords.
I do have a personal website that I work on and update, but its sole purpose is to be a portfolio for me since I am a game design major. I plan to update it with more of my work that I have done regarding designing video games. As a game design major it is necessary to have a website to act as a portfolio if I want to easily show off my work to employers.
Social Media
In terms of what social media that I use, I primarily use Instagram and Snapchat on a daily basis. I use Instagram to see posts I'm interested on the explore page and see what people I know are up to. I use Snapchat to talk with friends in a groupchat, and also see what people are up to on their stories. While I use both these apps on a daily basis, I rarely ever post anything to them. My only Instagram post is a picture with my friends at our high school graduation, and my profile picture is still from middle school. On Snapchat, I may post one thing to my story once every blue moon, but that is about it for things I post, nor do I link anything to my social media.
If someone where to look at my social media they wouldn't find much. For Instagram, my account is private, so I would have to accept their request for them to view the one photo I have. As for my profile picture, it is of me and a couple of friends in probably 8th grade so I don't think much information is to be had there. Snapchat is also something that I would have to add the person back for them to view the rare story post. They would be able to see my "Bitmoji" a basic avatar that is meant to look like me, but brown hair and blue eyes doesn't give too much information about me.
Private Information
When it comes to giving out private information, I am pretty safe about it. The only times I give out my phone number to a site is when I need to use it for two-factor authentication, and I only use that for mainstream sites that hold information or have games that I've spent money on, like Steam or Instagram. My personal Gmail is one that I barely use, so when I make an account for something that I won't really pay attention to I use it. Other than that, when I buy something online and have to use a credit card, I only do so on sites that I know are legitimate like Amazon, Steam for when I buy games, etc.
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Is Social Media Making Us Lonely?
When it comes to the questions asked in
The Atlantic article, I do believe that social media is making more people deal with mental health issues. No matter what type of people you hang out with or whatever kind of person you are, I think you can be effected by it. For example, the number of teenage girls who gossip behind people's backs, and constantly worry about how they are perceived, often deal with issues of anxiety. There are also people who may see their friends post a picture together, and realize that they were not invited and begin to feel poorly about themselves. Social media does have its benefits, but I think there is no doubt that it is making people more anxious and depressed.
