Gabriela Campos.
Today we had the pleasure to attend a lecture given by the Ukrainian teacher Mariana Krokhmalna regarding the importance of our online presence in our current society and the actual impact our digital image can provoke in our daily lives.
Currently, all of us have our digital personas, no matter how active we are on social media or which platforms we use the most, all our actions, or lack of them, take their part in the build of our digital persona, and our profile based on our digital footprint. What we like, what we share, what we comment on, and what we save…
Nowadays our digital persona and our online presence become increasingly relevant. Not only in a close environment but also in the professional field. Several surveys contrast that 70% of recruiters check their possible worker’s social media accounts, and so do universities. So it brings to mind the importance of our online presence and how a negative image can end up being harmful for our professional development in most current companies.
There are several factors that build our persona, but the main ones and most representatives in order to give a good impression are seven.
First of all, usernames are key for the first impression, Mariana gave us a clear example “You should name your user something that represents you, it is better if it is your name but if not just have in mind that it needs to be something that reflects your personality, so don’t name yourself ‘rudeboy’ or that kind of names that will harm your image and the perception possible employers have about you”. In the second place, your account name goes beside your username, so it becomes also crucial.
Your avatar or profile picture is really interesting, as in-person giving a good first impression is important, in our social media as well. Depending on your interest or if you have a more personal or professional account you should choose your picture, and use a selfie or an institutional photo for it. Following the list, comes the profile description. It should be a brief introduction of yourself. Emojis or quotes should be avoided as they don’t represent you purely as an individual, you should give people an idea of who you really are. Finally, we have our links, highlights, and unique style. These three play the role of showing who you are more deeply, maybe showing more of your interests or previous experiences, and also giving it a personal touch that will make your profile remarkable among the others.
