My First Tattoo! (Digital)

When we think about tattoos, we think about the rebellious eighteen-year-old who is so excited to finally make

a choice for themselves! We think about those passionate conversation we had from sixteen to eighteen years old

about what mark we want left on our bodies that represents us. However, the interesting part is that some people

went through with it, while others (like me) chickened out. 

Even if you were scared of getting some ink back in the day, you still have some permanence in this world (even

though it might not be physical). This permanence has grown in conjunction with the internet. As the years went

on, my generation learned that our digital presence (now a digital tattoo) was something that would never go away

online. Like it or not, we all have a tattoo. 

These tattoos, however, do not have to be a bad thing! These tattoos can show our achievements/honors, etc. from

our professional and personal lives. As we do need to be careful on what we share online, we also need to be aware

of what IS online- even if we did not intentionally post it. With this in mind, I began my deep dive into my digital

tattoo. 

I had some preparatory questions for myself before jumping in. Who is Daniella Cozzi? Who is Daniella Cozzi

online? I anticipated that I would find my profile from work, social media accounts, etc. 

To begin, I searched my name in Google and made sure to use quotation marks around my name. I wanted my

results to be as specific as possible. With that, an image of the results is below. 

Image Source: Author's

What we see here was expected. It was exactly what I anticipated. The first link is a link to my digital presence for

work. The second link to the Staff Directory. I knew those would be there. The first two images that populated were

from my work account as well. On the other hand, the third photo is of my coworker- strange! 

As I scrolled down, I saw more and more posts that were relevant to me, but dated. For example, I saw posts that

were from my high school years of either shows I participated in or school-newspaper articles that I was interviewed

for. These were a fun surprise. 

Then, I decided to take this dive more seriously. What exactly is out there? What information is available beyond a

Google search? 

I started with Instant Checkmate. This website was free and easy to use. Once the results were live, I was not

entirely surprised to see what they found. My correct age was available, town/location, and even relatives.

Everything was spot on. 

Image Source: Author's

Moving forward, I decided to use People Finders. This website offered similar information to that of Instant

Checkmate, but with one major flaw. I am not sure who Grazia Mastellone is, but that is definitely not my mom!

The first name is correct, but that is not her maiden name. Unless there is a family secret I need to uncover, People

Finders was a little off. 

Image Source: Author's

Another search result I would like to share with you was from Truth Finder. As many other websites offered similar

information to those shared above, Truth Finder was not able to locate me. As many times as I retyped the

information, added age, added location, etc. it still brought me back to this page. Apparently, I am not present

enough on their maps, but that is more than okay with me. 

Image Source: Author's

I was mildly concerned with what I saw online because I do not like the feeling of personal information being out

there. Yes, it is just age, address, email, etc., but those are components that a fraudulent user can easily make an

account out of. I know I am a little over-reactive on this front, but the less information out there, the better I sleep

at night! 

I do think that this is a skill that should be taught in schools. I feel that teenagers have grown up with the internet,

that they don’t necessarily see the dangers or positives of it. They are so numb to the concept of sharing and have

profiles, that they don’t understand the weight of the long-term effects. I think the school’s media or technology

specialist should be responsible for teaching these types of lessons. If that position is not available, the librarian

would be another excellent resource. The librarian or technology/media specialist would be my go-to for this

because they are well-respected in the school, but also have a third-party viewpoint that allows them to see all

angles. Students may take them more seriously on this front than that of their daily teacher. 

Image Source: Data Quest

Overall, the deep dive into my digital tattoo helped me see what exactly is out there. I can now make choices

about passwords, etc. based on what information is already available to the public. I encourage more people to

do this with their families and friends to learn more about yourself and how others view you on the internet.