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Highs and Lows: The Risks and Benefits of an Online Presence
Daniel Ashley
Yukon College
October 6, 2011
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Highs and Lows: The Risks and Benefits of an Online Presence
There are risks and benefits to maintaining an online presence. Currently some kind of
online presence is almost unavoidable for most people. Most newspapers and press releases are
published online in digital format. This results in an online presence for anyone whose name has
recently been cited in any public print. The example above is a passive component of our online
presence; in many cases people are actively engaged in building and promoting their Internet
profile. The use of social networking and media sites such as facebook or youtube, has changed
the face of many people’s personal and professional lives. An online presence can create great
social, educational, and economic advantages. Online personas also leave us more exposed to
misinterpretation than ever before in history. Through text, photo, video, and sound our everyday
actions can be seen and analyzed by more people than ever. It is important to be aware of the
risks and benefits of maintaining an online presence and to make informed choices about the
content that we present online.
To have an online presence has many implications. There are many different types of
services, social networks, media, and information that form a person’s online presence. The most
basic and readily accessible way to assess the size of someone’s presence on the Internet is the
good “old fashioned” Google search. Simply type a name into the Google search engine and
have a look at the results. Usually what is found is a random smattering of information including
anything written about that person in a magazine or newspaper, photos published or uploaded to
websites, and their address and phone number in the white pages. It could also include videos
that have been tagged with the person’s name on Youtube, or links to their profile on social
networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. These are just a few examples of the types of
personal information found by a Google search. An online presence may also include a personal
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profile on a social networking site such as Facebook or Twitter. These are currently two of the
most popular social networking sites however there are countless others; these sites gain, and
lose popularity over time. A social networking site commonly contains information about a
person’s interests, online groups of friends, photos, games, and applications that allow e-mail,
and chat functions between members of the network. Some information on social networks can
be publicly viewed by anyone on the Internet; some of it is available to network users or
“friends” selected by each individual. The size of a person’s online presence in the social
networking community is usually measured by how many contacts or “friends” they have, and
how current the material on their profile is. Personal websites and blogs are also very common
components of an online persona. The blog is usually a form of personalized website that
features postings about a person’s activities and interests on a regular basis. Websites take many
incarnations depending on their design and purpose. If you’re in a band you may have a page
about you on the band’s promotional website. If you work for a company there may be a profile
and your contact information in the company’s website directory. The examples above are the tip
of the digital iceberg when it comes to the applications and vehicles that make up an individual’s
online presence. The great accessibility of information and diverse media contained in a person’s
online persona comes with the risk of exposure.
There are risks involved in creating and maintaining an online presence. In his essay
“ Google Never Forgets: A Cautionary Tale”, Max Fawcett (2012) discusses the negative impact
personal content can have online:
The cost of my “bad Google” has been limited to embarrassment, but for others
the price of leaving a digital footprint can be much higher. Employers now
routinely Google prospective hires, and one ill-considered comment on a weblog
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five years ago can mean the difference between making the final round of
interviews and being passed over….(p.335)
Fawcett focuses on the fact that personal information online can give employers a view of
aspects of a person’s life that may have nothing to do with their work but can still reflect
negatively their character. This can potentially cost someone a job or other professional
opportunities (p.335). The reality of the risks related to personal information exposure online is
now setting in for everyone regardless of profession, age, or personal occupation. The potential
exposure of the Internet can be dangerous because it supports many forms of media including
text, photos, and audio. Posting photos online may be one of the riskier activities, particularly
since the advent of “tagging” a social networking function allowing you to post names to
pictures of people. This is in part because photos can be viewed completely out of context from
their original setting. That blurry picture of you dancing on a table at a bachelor party can now
cost you your job or keep you from getting one in the first place. A potential employer doesn’t
necessarily know that you’re a straight edge guy or gal 364 days a year if he finds that one
negative photo or on Facebook. The same risks are equally present with video on websites such
as Youtube. The accessibility of portable video cameras built into cell phones and other
electronic devices now means that there are eyes everywhere. Never before has it been so easy to
record or be recorded with or with the consent of the person on camera. This comes with the
possibility of any action we take in public being recorded, and posted online. The reality may
make people more guarded in their public interactions and activities.
Despite the risks, the number of people with some form of online presence is growing
exponentially for a number of reasons. In the digital age creating and maintaining an online
presence has definite social, professional, and educational advantages. One of the most obvious
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advantages of an online presence is the ability to network with a vast number of people from
around the globe. Chatting with your buddy in Korea is now just as easy as visiting your
Grandma down the street. The ease and affordability of communicating through text, voice, and
video via the Internet has broken down geographical boundaries in a way never before possible.
The advent of social networks such as Facebook has completely revolutionized the world of
personal and professional networking. People from diverse backgrounds and locations can share
ideas through a variety of media. It also allows groups of people with similar interests to find
each other online. In the past making personal connections was limited to social groups directly
accessible to people. Currently there are potentially limitless numbers of connections that can be
made across the Internet and social networks. The social revolution on the Internet has huge
value in breaking down cultural barriers between individuals and nations. Online personas and
social networks have rapidly become a valuable tool for working professionals in many fields.
An architect or music producer can now display their portfolio online in a variety of formats.
Social networks can then be used to promote their online content to other professionals in their
field. This form of promotion and advertising has become extremely valuable. Part of the reason
is that it is a decentralized model of content distribution. An online presence also allows a
professional to present work in progress and receive feedback from a huge base of people. This
leads to more collaborative projects and innovations in many areas. The online presence has also
shown many benefits for education. It is now standard at many universities for all students to be
given a student profile when they enroll in classes. Through these profiles students can access
class resources posted by professors, transcripts, and even other students who are in their classes.
This is leading to the education process becoming more collaborative and accessible. Students
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can access online course resources from any computer with the Internet and work with other
students in their classes from a distance to better understand course material.
One of the concerns with maintaining an online presence is that personal information can be
viewed by a large number of people without your knowledge or control. Many of the major
online networks and service providers are continually working on ways to give each individual
better and more customized privacy protection. In the article “Who Can See This?” Hartley
(2011) outlines some of the key changes Facebook is making:
The changes to Facebook's privacy settings include: inline profile controls that allow
users to determine who will see a post via a drop down menu and a tag review feature
allowing users to accept or decline a tag in a post or photo. As well when a post is
visible to the entire Internet it will be labelled "public."
Changes such as these are a step in the right direction for enhancing the benefits of maintaining
an online persona while minimizing the risks. Features such as those outlined above operate
around the idea that everyone is responsible for the content they put online and specifying who
can view it. Network service providers have the obligation to make privacy controls informative,
easy to use, and effective, but it still falls to each individual user to use their judgment about
what they present as a part of their online presence.
Not long ago the idea of an online presence was in the realm of science fiction. Today it
is a reality and rapidly becoming a necessity for many people. The ease of access to our personal
and professional lives through the Internet leaves us more exposed than ever. However with this
exposure comes the freedom and ability to interact and exchange ideas with a vast number of
people. Each individual must be mindful of the risks and benefits associated with information or
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media included in their online presence. If service providers and online users work together to
maintain privacy and integrity benefits can be maximized and risks can be minimized.
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References
Fawcett, M. (2012). Google never forgets: a cautionary tale. In S. Norton & N. Walsman (Eds.),
Canadian content (7th ed.), (pp.333-336). Toronto, ON: Nelson.
Hartley, M. (2011). Who can see this? facebook overhauls privacy settings. Canada, Don Mills,
ON.: Southam Publications Inc. Retrieved from:
http://search.proquest.com/docview/885454571?accountid=29144