What is it?

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Digital tattoo (also known as a digital footprint) is basically a trace that you leave while being online.

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Not only information that you published intentionally e.g. on social media platforms but your every action on the internet is recorded, stored and used both for statistic purpose and for creating more personalised advertising. What kind of user data is stored? Address (for example based on IP or GPS), operating system, browser settings, which websites you visited and how much time you spent on each of them, what kind of question did you type in a search engine, what you bought, etc.

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Should I be scared?

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You should be aware. Nowadays, the Internet is an immanent part of our life and we can't avoid using it, but we can do it responsibly.

 

For example, we can change some of the privacy settings both in our browsers, on websites and in apps that we are using in to prevent them from gathering information that we don't want them to. Unfortunately, some won't let us use them if we don't agree to some terms.

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Social media allow greater leeway. Although we won't be able to prevent them from gathering any data about us, we can decide what kind of information we publish.  It might be even more important since these materials are usually widely available for everyone interested.

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Can I use it to my benefit?

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Yes, you can... At least the social media part of it.

 

The idea is first, to avoid publishing inappropriate content. Perhaps putting pictures of your last night out with friends, when you were "socialising" a bit too much, might look like a great and funny idea, but it might not be complementing your overall image. All this information are quite easily available, so just ask yourself what would your potential employer think about you based on your pictures, comments and even likes... What would say that beautiful girl or handsome guy you always wanted to ask out? What about your future parents in law? 

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You might consider publishing content related to your dream job, hobby, etc. This way your online image will stay positive and the potential employer will know that he/she has just found a perfect employee;)