Social media identity and professional identity are inextricably linked. One can rail against this reality, or accept it and consider the manner of preferred appearance. There are numerous circumstances where historical information has revisited individuals with unfortunate implications. Given such serious potential consequences, it is folly to ignore this issue. The question is, how best to manage it? (CTV, 2015) (Jenkins, 2018)
Digital Identity
My return to formalized education is a goal-oriented effort to expand my knowledge base, and to seek opportunities to be useful in new areas of professional engagement. Going forward, how do I want to be seen? What do I want to convey? How do I market myself? These are all questions that I considered in the review of my digital identity, the articulating of my professional values and the ongoing development of my ePortfolio.
In completing a social media review through the lens of professional appearance, I did find several posts I chose to delete or make private. I did not find any posts I considered offensive, however not necessarily something I would prefer for a future employer or colleague to see. This was not a significant change to my authenticity online, just a tweaking of appearance and direction.
I am not multiple different people – there is not a “professional me”, a “social me”, a “karate me” and a “family me”. My values are consistent in each of these roles.
Professional Values
What I realized, as I reflected on my digital presence, is that I am not multiple different people – there is not a “professional me”, a “social me”, a “karate me” and a “family me”. My values are consistent in each of these roles. I care about people, and I want them to feel valued. I believe in compassion and accountability. I believe in fairness, kindness, understanding and forgiveness. I apply all of these ideas in my workplace, in my home and in my community. I seek to help others and to be authentic. I insist upon respect in how I am treated and I treat others with this same respect. I believe that humor and human emotion is the glue that binds us. I seek to be useful and to positively influence people by acknowledging people; helping them to see what they are capable of and to take responsibility for their circumstances. These are deeply personal values, yet they do not differ significantly in the professional environment. There may be some additional expectations I place on myself in the work environment, such as timeliness, efficiency, transparency, for example. Whatever environment I am in, I want to be seen as approachable, willing to help, competent and capable of making a positive difference.
Interestingly, the values I espouse personally are also reflected by my profession and employer. That alignment is surely responsible for all the things I love about my profession and my work. (AHSChannel, 2016) (Alberta College of Occupational Therapists, n.d.) (Alberta Health Services, n.d.)
Outline for ePortfolio
The headings I have included in my developing ePortfolio are:
- Home
- About Me
- Achievements
- MyAU Masters
- Blog
- Contact
- Resources
- Curated Content (Dene FINAL Site, n.d.)
I have expectations of making additions to define and refine each section. I will be using the contents of this paper to enhance the Home and About Me sections. I will provide a Curriculum Vitae within my Achievements section. I look forward to including my work towards my Master of Health Studies in the MyAU Masters section. I also intend to include a summary paragraph for each course regarding my use or the course in my work. My Blog is currently for assignments and writings within the course, though I would prefer the blog to include some essays of a more conversational feel as well. I am unsure if Resources and Curated Content should be combined at some point, but I envision these being the sections whereby I include resources I believe others would find of interest.
Conclusion
I believe this process has been deeply beneficial and highly pragmatic. We have always had to consider who we are and how we present to the world by our dress, the words we choose, and how we treat others. We are works in progress. We and the world must understand that. The challenge of a digital footprint is that the person we are presently may be judged by our earlier evolutions. Conscientious awareness of this reality means that we strive to be authentic while being cognizant of how we appear, all the while demonstrating permission for growth, learning and change.
References
AHSChannel. (2016, June 20). Living our values. Together. [YouTube Video]. Alberta Health Services. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7sByAliwF0&feature=youtu.be
Alberta College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://www.acot.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Code_of_Ethics1.pdf
Alberta Health Services Code of Conduct. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/about/policies/ahs-pub-code-of-conduct.pdf
Alberta MLA ousted from NDP caucus over photo. (2015). CTV. Retrieved October 2, 2018 from https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/alberta-mla-ousted-from-ndp-caucus-over-photo-1.2386306
Dene FINAL Site. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://dene.strikingly.com/
Jenkins, A. (2018, July 23). “Guardians of the Galaxy” stars speak out after the firing of Director James Gunn. (2018). Fortune. Retrieved October 2, 2018 from http://fortune.com/2018/07/23/guardians-galaxy-james-gunn-fired/