Will not having a digital footprint hurt your chances of getting accepted?

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I know it might sound ridiculous but let's be real. It's no secret that some companies, like Forbes, don't even hire anyone without a Facebook account. And many psychologists believe someone with no or little digital footprint is suspicious and potentially dangerous. So my question is will no digital footprint be a reason you don't get into grad school considering everything else about your credentials is impressive enough? I myself have absolutely no digital footprint. That doesn't mean I'm crazy. I've just never been into it. So what do people have to say?

[moody]

Having no digital footprint will not affect you negatively (or at least I have never heard even the remotest mention of such a thing). On the other hand, having a very bad digital footprint could well be a problem (e.g., if googling you reveals that you've been involved in some kind of crime or something). I suppose that having a great digital footprint from an academic perspective would be an asset (e.g., if googling you shows people citing your academic work), but it's really not expected for people applying to graduate school.

[cunninlynguist]

Agree with moody -- I've never come across anything that links a lack of a digital footprint to lower admissibility.

I'm the same, but plan on using LinkedIn once I'm in a program. In terms of "needing" a FB or Twitter account to get accepted, don't worry about it.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Agree with moody -- I've never come across anything that links a lack of a digital footprint to lower admissibility.

I'm the same, but plan on using LinkedIn once I'm in a program. In terms of "needing" a FB or Twitter account to get accepted, don't worry about it.

I'm not saying exactly that not having a digital footprint will not get you accepted. But let's be real, most people, especially people in college, have some sort of digital footprint. I guess I'm wondering if not having any kind of digital footprint will raise suspicions that ultimately lead to causing a program to choose someone over you. Especially in the wake of these tragedies when all the news networks and TV psychologists are talking about warning signs of antisocial behavior.

[dendy]

If you're so concerned about not having a digital footprint... why don't you make one?? You could make a sham fb account with max privacy settings, so they can't see any pics or friends but they can see you have an account (unless you believe that universities have access to private profiles.... big rumor back in the day)

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

If you're so concerned about not having a digital footprint... why don't you make one?? You could make a sham fb account with max privacy settings, so they can't see any pics or friends but they can see you have an account (unless you believe that universities have access to private profiles.... big rumor back in the day)

I'm not concerned at all. I think it's funny that some corporations require it and even funnier that I'm seeing news articles with psychologists suggesting lack of a digital footprint is a warning sign. I was just wondering how schools felt about it. If a school did require it, I wouldn't apply--forget creating one for the sake of it.

[bamafan]

If anything, I think the contrary is true. One's digital footprint can often be a problem if something compromising is posted on it. There is no harm in not having any of these types of accounts. In fact, during the application process, I tend to delete/disable all of mine just in case. The same holds true for job applications.

[budgiepie]

I have a facebook account but I haven't accessed it in years. Don't know many people IRL so I don't see the point.