You’re On My Heart Just Like A (Digital) Tattoo

Please excuse the cheesy title.

In all seriousness, though, this week’s module had me thinking about how I use social media. Over the years, I’ve signed up for different platforms – mostly because my family and friends migrated – and I use some more than others. Then there are platforms I either deleted/stopped using or never signed up for. Maybe I am a bit of a minimalist; if the platform doesn’t seem engaging for me, I don’t use it. My most used social media platforms, in order of time spent, are Goodreads/Storygraph, Discord (mostly for chatting with friends and my nephews), NetGalley (for reading advanced reader copies of books, along with Kindle), and Twitter (“X”). I’ve deleted other apps when they were for temporary usage or didn’t suit me anymore, such as TikTok and Instagram.

I decided to investigate my accounts and how they’re linked to other places on the Internet after reading this article. I hadn’t realized that my e-mail address was connected to websites I no longer visit or subscribe to (The New York Times, WeHeartIt, and AliExpress). With my Twitter account, some apps/plugins weren’t compatible due to changes in technology or my own interest had waned (Periscope, iOS). I also tried the Namechk service, which someone can use to scan for a username’s availability across dozens of platforms, as well as in domain-form. When I typed in one of my usernames, I was stunned at the number of websites and platforms that recognized it. Some of them I knew already, like GitHub, Photobucket, Ebay, and Tumblr; there were others I never used or only knew the names, such as Twitch, Medium, and DailyMotion.

As someone who generally tries to keep a relatively low online profile, I thought the tips about utilizing social media smartly and taking breaks (“digital detox”) were helpful. I use social media platforms for different purposes or depending on my mood. In Twitter’s case, I’m (slowly) learning not to doomscroll; whatever I retweet tends to be about artwork, fun or nerdy posts about books/TV/film/etc, or recommendations I find intriguing. My account is locked, so if a potential employer tries to look me up it may be difficult to find a certain post. And while it’s tempting to argue with people online, particularly if they say something I do not agree with, I’ve decided to not engage.

Image Credit: Verywell / Jiaqi Zhou

Image Credit: https://www.wfla.com/bloom-tampa-bay/unplugging-to-recharge-the-power-of-digital-detoxing/

Having a digital tattoo, especially today, is a special responsibility. “The Internet never forgets” is more than a cautionary warning, in a lot of ways. Time will tell if my digital tattoo is interesting (or off-putting), but I hope that it will be memorable.