Digital Identity

Everything you do online paints a perception of you and defines your online identity.

At its core, your digital identity is who you are online and what people can find out about you online. Sometimes this can be scary. Who you claim to be online can be very different from your personality in real life. Some people can use this to their advantage, while others abuse it.

In many ways I feel as if we are in control of our digital identities, however that is not the case. Companies and sites constantly collect your data and sell it elsewhere. Who you are, what you search, how long you spend on a site, and what you download becomes part of your digital footprint that can then be handed off to others on the internet. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t control it to an extent. Your personal website, social media, and your LinkedIn profile can help shape your digital identity.

One of the unique things about being a student at UMW means you have access to Domain of One’s Own, which is a space you can construct your own digital identity. You can do whatever you want with this space. I personally use it as a place to post my work. I’m a double major in history and communication and digital studies, and my personal website reflects that. Just take a moment to look around and you will surely see this!

Some of the things I noticed about past uses of digital portfolios is that they are mostly landing pages. They serve as a home for work people want to put on display. This is very good, because it puts the work you are proud of out on the internet for others to see, and for future employers see.

Some of the sites I really liked were Stella Swope and Alyssa Brown‘s. Stella’s site is really geared towards photography and is very aesthetically pleasing, while Alyssa’s is very quirky and allows you to get a feel for her personality and what she likes. I like to think my own website does this, because I have a lot of things to share for both history and CDS. I have quite a few projects published on here and have many, many more blog posts that feature mini-assignments.

As it stands, I look forward to sharing my own portfolio with everyone! I have quite a lot to talk about and hope everyone will too!