Access and footprints

I remember when I was sixteen years old. For Christmas, my parents got themselves and me matching cellular phones. These phones were state of the art, equipped with thick circular antennae, no caller ID, monochromatic screen, one ringtone, but when I powered it on, I got a non-customizable welcome message that said: “Hello Chris.” Soon after, we got a family computer that my dad mainly used for work email, and my mom mainly used for Solitaire. Little did I know that this season of my life would kick start my dependence on technology. It seems almost comedic comparing the early stage of my individual technology use to that of today. I do not consider myself a tech-heavy user; my family does not own a television. However, I would not be able to function without the devices we do have. From work correspondence and weather checking to directions and social communication, technology plays such an important role in my daily life.

And yet, this is not the same situation for everyone. The spectrum of digital access is widespread, sometimes right in our own communities. I currently teach in a school district that serves, who most would consider, middle-class families. A few of our schools are Title IX, and our housing varies from high-end suburbs to governmental housing, to rural farmland - a very diverse student body. When COVID struck our community last spring and school was forced to shut down, we very quickly realized the gap in digital access. As in most districts in Texas, internet service providers offered free internet access to those households in need. Our district took full advantage of this offer and had 100% of our student population connected at home. While this seemed to bring equality to digital access, those families who previously had a lack of access to technology were still at a disadvantage. These families and students were not rehearsed in technology protocol, troubleshooting, or basic usage. As a school, we spent hours on the phone, primarily with our rural families, trying to equip them on a system that most would consider “common sense.” Up until this point, it had been obvious to us that a lack of technology for students does not allow them to easily take their learning outside of the school day. However, this situation caused me to realize that a lack of technology also has the potential to create a disadvantage for certain students as they do not receive the fluency and practice that other students have.

As I have reflected on the use of technology in my own life, I have tried to track all of the different ways that I have made my presence known on the internet. Even though I have really tried to be careful about how I spend my time online, it still scares me to think about what all my digital footprint includes. I have always sought to be cautious with my intentional digital footprint, including the emails I send, the tweets I post, and any sort of comment I type on a laptop. However, there have been countless times that I have been careless and left a massive unintentional digital footprint in my wake. Whether it be a late-night YouTube bingeing session or scouring the internet looking for the perfect Christmas gift (and accepting cookies as I search…), I may never know the scope of the footprints I am leaving behind. As an educator, I probably have over fifty different accounts for specific educational apps that are used for instructional purposes and are probably collecting some sort of data on me and may even be selling that data to a third party.

A few years ago, I was hired onto a team and one of the existing members has a particular interest in privacy policies and legal jargon surrounding the legal terms often required of consumers to use applications and programs. It was from her that I have learned a great deal about the necessity to be cautious and look for certain buzz words hiding in a company’s terms and conditions. Since then, I have avoided certain apps and paid way more attention to privacy settings and how they can be adjusted. Sometimes, this sacrifice has come with great cost. As a model American kid of the ’90s, I was obsessed with a game called Mario Kart. This obsession was probably fostered due to the fact that my family did not own a Super Nintendo and my best friend’s parents placed a heavy limit on video games whenever I spent the night. But my restricted doses of Rainbow Road were enough to have me hooked. So when I saw that Mario Kart iOS was coming to the App Store, my inner child began to salivate. Sadly, after reviewing the privacy policy, I noticed that by installing and playing this game, a user would be allowed certain monitoring and data collection schemes that I was not comfortable with. So often, both students and adults (myself included) are totally oblivious to the impact that our online decision can have. Digital citizens can cultivate a positive digital footprint by intentionally posting material that reflects how they want to be seen by the rest of the world. For students, this includes college admissions boards and future employers. What is on the internet will never go away and it is important that the internet reflects the best of who we are.