Digital Tools at Work 

I work as a family counselor in the social services sector and actively use the electronic customer information system (DomaCare) in my work. In addition to this, I regularly use Teams and WhatsApp. I use Teams mainly as a network collaboration tool, but sometimes family work is also organized through Teams. WhatsApp is definitely the tool I use the most. Our work is mobile and independent, which is why communicating information to all employees and communicating with colleagues is easiest via WhatsApp. WhatsApp is also the best way to communicate with customers. I also use the Eurocard credit card application almost every day at work. 

The assignment asked me to choose five new digital tools that I could use in my work. Next, I will present the tools I chose. 

Instagram: Instagram is an application I am familiar with in my personal life, but I could also use it in my work. I think that our work group could use an Instagram account to make our work visible and known to other people. Some people can find child protection even a little scary, so through Instagram we could tell about our work and make it more approachable. Our new customers could also get to know our work through Instagram and dispel possible fears and prejudices.  

TikTok: TikTok could work in my work a bit like Instagram, that is, we could make our work visible through it. I’m thinking that I could make my own work-related account on TikTok, where I would talk about issues related to child protection and make short videos about the content of my working days. 

LinkedIn: In my opinion, people in the social sector are not particularly active users of LinkedIn, but we could certainly become more active here. I could use LinkedIn for networking and professional development. I will probably also start looking for a new job in the next few months, so I really should update my LinkedIn profile. 

Mural: Mural was a completely new acquaintance for me. Mural is a digital workspace for visual collaboration that gives the opportunity to think and do visual collaboration to solve problems. Mural can be used to organize, for example, meetings and workshops. I think that Mural could be suitable as a tool for developing our work community. So far we haven’t used visual tools, but I think members of my work community would enjoy using Mural. 

YouTube: I am of course familiar with YouTube, but I have never used it in my work. However, there is a lot of good material on YouTube that my clients could benefit from. I checked that, for example, there are fact-based videos about child protection that I could recommend to my clients or watch with them. 

The Pros and Cons of Using Social Media  

Social media has both positive and negative aspects. A positive thing is the possibility of communication and networking. It’s easy to keep in touch with acquaintances regardless of where you live, and it’s also possible to find new friends through social media. In addition, it is possible to find peer support for various issues. With the help of social media, it is possible to share information and learn new things. Many use social media, for example, to share and discuss various news and articles. Social media also makes it possible to express one’s own opinions. Today, social media also serves as a workplace for many people. Companies can also gain visibility for themselves on social media. Social media is an easy and fast way to market and maintain customer relations. However, for the majority of people, social media mainly means entertainment and pastime. Social media always offers entertaining content that makes time pass quickly. 

However, social media also has a flip side. Using social media can lead to addiction and the fact that a person spends too much time on different applications. This can negatively affect, for example, work, studies and social relationships. On social media, people typically show their best side, which can lead to people comparing themselves to others and may experience feelings of inferiority. Especially young people can experience pressure to be “perfect”, which can be very harmful to the development of self-esteem. At worst, social media can cause anxiety and depression from this point of view. Social media can also act as a platform for bullying and spreading negative or false information. It is possible to insult and threaten others anonymously online. Also, the discussion culture in some applications is sometimes very negative. The use of social media also involves risks related to the protection of privacy. It is possible that the user’s personal information ends up in the wrong hands and the information is used for the wrong purposes. 

The Elements of Successful Digital Application Use 

I think that the successful use of a digital application requires that the application works properly and that the application is easy and quick to use. The application must also be able to be used for the purpose for which it was made. Successful use of a digital application also saves the user’s time and requires that the user’s use of time remains under control. The app should not be addictive. Overall, I think that the successful use of the application brings more positive than negative experiences into the life of its users. 

Self Evaluation 

I’ve been thinking a lot about my own use of social media. I’m not a very active conversationalist on social media, but I do actively follow many people and belong to several groups. In addition to this, I like to read what my friends have to say. Lately, I’ve noticed that I pick up my phone very easily and open a social media service as if without noticing. Sometimes I might be on social media while watching TV for example. This breaks concentration really easily. I may browse the pages aimlessly so that I may not even remember what I have read afterwards. I have come to the conclusion that I have developed some kind of addiction to social media. I have recently tried to consciously focus on not spending so much time on social media. This still needs practice, but I’ve decided not to let social media swallow my real life.  

However, I think there are a lot of useful digital applications out there. You can make your life easier with many applications, and many applications also help with work. In this assignment, it was interesting to get to know new applications and think about their suitability for my own work. It was also interesting to read other students’ thoughts and experiences about digital applications. I have found that I like to stay in my comfort zone when it comes to digital things, but this course has encouraged me to try new things.