I personally like the approach of redefining the words we use to describe such hyper- or beyond-objects a lot. I’m not completely according with the choice of digital wake. Mainly because it seems like that there is a natural substrate in which our traces just vanish after causing some waves.
Moving away from the false agency implied by the footprint, the “wake” provides an avenue for investigating the complexity, politics, and interconnectedness of our lives with the internet.
Digital footprint discussions overlook how others contribute to a digital identity. In contrast, the digital wake describes a process of data and identity production that is necessarily co-created, diffuse, and interconnected. As we traverse like boats (or jetskis, or ferries) through the water of the internet, the wake is the impression left behind. The wake is the churn of data and metadata we create when engaging digitally; it radiates, dissipates and intersects with the wakes from other vessels. Our activity affects the dynamics of the water, as our journey is affected by the wakes of many other boats.