Of equal importance to the basic digital literacy skills is the awareness of Digital Identity. The HE and FE sectors are increasingly aware of this, and there are a number of projects actively engaged in improving the awareness of learners and staff in these sectors.

There are many issues which the individual should be aware of, including finding a balance between the need to promote ones own skills and abilities against the need to be able to retain a level of privacy and to be able to provide a view which shows how one fits in to a team. People occupy many roles in life, and whilst there is an overhead involved in maintaining multiple ‘facets’ of ones personality online, there appears to be an increasing trend to want to keep personal, educational and professional aspects separate from one another.

It is suggested that alongside basic digital literacy skills, material providing education on creating and maintaining personal profiles which will support the individual’s growth and development over their lifetime be made available to all. The country will benefit by providing the population with the skills to both present themselves well and prevent themselves from damage to their online reputations. Not only will individuals in the population be more ‘marketable’ but the risks of cyber-crime against them will be diminished.