What's My Digital Tattoo? I had an Inkling, but the Results May Shock You

As someone without any tattoos, I'd imagine that getting your first tattoo is a momentous occasion. Whether it's an impulsive decision or a carefully constructed plan, it's a choice made by and for the person getting the tattoo.

Digital tattoos, however, are another matter. In short, digital tattoos are our online persona - the version of ourselves that anyone can meet if they find our information online. Rather than making a choice to get a tattoo in a finite moment of time, it's a series of cumulative choices made over an indefinite period of time. These choices impact which information about ourselves is shared online. It's not just our own choices. Information about us can be shared by anyone with an internet connection; hence, why babies have digital tattoos if their caregivers share their child's name, photos, birthday, and more (a parenting phenomenon dubbed sharenting). According to a report published by the Human Rights Council, "Some 80 per cent of children living in developed Western countries have a digital footprint before they are two years old, largely due to the actions of their family members." For more information on this report, check out the article Children’s right to privacy in the digital age must be improved, published by OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights).

It's a little ominous, to be honest. Anyone can look up anyone, uncovering all sorts of information. Rather than a photo of your first birthday cake, perhaps they pull up a photo of your home courtesy of Google Maps, along with the exact address down to the apartment unit. When I found my address online, I felt torn between taking a deeper look at my digital tattoo, and looking away as quickly as possible.

Image Source: tenor.com

Although we can't always control which information others can find or how it's used, there is good news! We can choose which information we share about ourselves. If we cultivate our online presence to create an authentic portrait of ourselves, we can use our online presence to paint a picture of our own making, thoughtfully designing a tattoo that we'll be proud to show the world. Our online presence can also lead to opportunities. For example, if you have an online professional portfolio, it can open up job opportunities, or make you stand out as a candidate for a job before you even interview.

To explore my own digital tattoo, I performed a data mine on myself. To find unbiased search results, I logged out of all my accounts and went incognito on Google. I also used a separate browser (Microsoft Edge) to perform additional searches in private mode.

For the first part of my data mine, I looked up my name on the following people search sites: 

Nuwber, Truthfinder, ZabaSearch, Radaris, My Life, Intelius

I only looked at information they had available for free, not the information in the report locked behind a paywall. Regarding the report, it was intimidating to read, The Results May Shock You! Needless to say, I passed on these results. Here are the results I found without forking over any money. I documented these results in a Q&A format, in light of the investigative tone of people search sites.

Part I: People Search Sites

How old are you?

30. This information was listed on the majority of people search sites. Some websites seemed to include birthday information, but locked it behind a paywall.

Who are your relatives?

Names of immediate family members were listed on multiple sites. Some sites just listed names; other sites listed names and ages.

Where do you live?

Some sites listed my current city. Other sites offered more of a residency history, listing the different towns I've called home. Some sites caught onto the fact that I lived in Chicago for a year; other sites did not catch onto that fact. One site listed my exact address down to the apartment number.

Where do you work?

Some sites listed only my current employer. Other sites listed my current and past employers, including the timeframes I'd worked there. One site even included my work phone number. I can see these websites being goldmines for employers looking to see if a candidate's resume matches up with their reported employment history. Still, it was strange to see my resume on the internet without my knowledge. Based on the information that was included, I'm certain that this site pulled my information from LinkedIn. I used to have a LinkedIn profile, but deleted the profile years ago. Clearly the information was saved elsewhere, showing how a digital tattoo isn't limited to the original source material. Anyone can replicate your information verbatim.

Part II: Google Search

While the people search sites revealed information you'd find on my resume, the incognito Google search and private Microsoft Edge search yielded a few surprises. I realized that I'd forgotten all about certain digital tattoos. For example, I uncovered articles that I'd published under my old name on a website called The Artifice. In these articles, I'd analyzed a few of my favorite films. It was strange (and a bit cringey) reading my writing from nearly a decade ago. Strangest of all, the image search made the articles show up, not the general search. I don't know why that was the case, but I thought it was an intriguing find.

I also found a YouTube channel under my old name. I'd forgotten I'd uploaded AMVs (some of which are very cringey). However, one AMV had a decent number of views (25,000). I had no idea!

As for searching my current name, I uncovered information on my library career. Working at a public library, my name popped up on my library's website. I chose to list my name under library programs, such as this event for my Writing Club program, as well as this page for my Volunteens program. My name also showed up under a scholarship I'd received - once on the ALA website, once on the Bound to Stay Bound Books website. If it weren't for this scholarship, I wouldn't have been able to start my MLIS, so it's neat that the scholarship page showed up while writing this blog for an MLIS course.

I also found my name on the Elgin Poet Laureate website. I'd given permission for the Elgin Poet Laureate to share the poems I'd read at the Loving Elgin Poetry Celebration. Here's how one of my poems shows up on the website:

Image Source: https://www.elginpoetlaureateproject.org/loving-elgin-poems/
Poem authored by Aron Ryan

What does this digital tattoo say about me? I'd say that it shows I love libraries and poetry. Overall, I couldn't be happier with that kind of digital tattoo. After all, it's definitely something I'd want people to know.

Part III: Social Media Search

For the final part of my data dig, I ventured into social media. Since I have active accounts on both sites, I looked up my name/username on Twitter/X and Facebook under a separate account (without being friends/followers). I thought it would be fun to write this part of the blog in third person, as if I've never seen this man's account in my life.

Twitter/X: I found Aron's profile. Considering that his bio lists that he's a Library Associate, and that he follows a solid twenty accounts related to libraries and books, I'd say that he's pretty dedicated to reading. Since he follows Gail Borden Public Library, I wonder if he works there, or if that's his home library. Either way, Elgin is probably his hometown, considering they follow several accounts local to Elgin. Based on other accounts he follows, he also seems passionate about LGBTQ+ rights and neurodiversity. His bio lists that he's a snake dad. Since his background photo is a snake, I'm assuming that it's a photo of his snake. I know it's a banana ball python, thanks to Google Image Search. 

Image Source: twitter.com

Facebook: Although the Facebook profile didn't show up under a Google/Microsoft Edge search, I found Aron's profile on Facebook's search once I'd logged in. Although their friend list is private, I was able to see some of his friends' names under the comments of his public photos. There are 11 public posts. 6 of these posts are profile photos or cover photos. By using Google Image Search on his current profile photo, I learned that he'd hiked at LaSalle Canyon at Starved Rock State Park. It seems like he loves to hike, considering he posted about a deer he found on a hike. I learned he's a snake dad from his bio, plus there's a profile photo of Aron and his snake. I learned he works at Gail Borden Public Library, since he shared a photo posted by Gail Borden Public Library of him and his coworkers. I learned his roommate's name, since he'd tagged his roommate in 2 posts and called her "roommate" in each post. Based on his bio, I learned that he's LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and a writer.

Image Source: Facebook.com

Part IV: What Now?

Now that I've explored my digital tattoo on people search sites, general searches, and social media platforms, I'll explore how I can further build my professional web presence. Since I'm creating an online professional portfolio, my data mine couldn't have come at a better time. Now that I've seen my online persona from the outside, I can better craft my website, ensuring that my newest digital tattoo is one that I'm proud to share with the world. I can also better connect with the wider world by including my preferred email and preferred social media profiles on my website, ensuring that people who find me online connect with me through the bridges I choose to build (rather than the bridges I wish to burn, i.e. my poorly edited YouTube AMVs of Avatar the Last Airbender). All in all, I'm happy with the digital tattoos I've accumulated thus far, and I'm excited for my next tattoo of my website.