When I started my career in the social sector about 20 years ago, there was little information about the possibilities of digitality. Customer records were written with pen on paper or sometimes maybe in a Word document. Contact was made by phone and information was sent by fax. Only supervisors at the workplace had a work-related e-mail. Little by little, however, digitalization has taken over my work as well. Today, customer information systems and all other programs and applications required at work go everywhere on a work phone or a laptop. I feel that digitalization has brought both good and bad with it. It’s great that work can be done smoothly everywhere, because it makes things faster and easier. On the other hand, limiting your own working time is even more difficult when there is no clear time and place to do the work. This, in turn, affects well-being and coping at work. 

In the future, with the help of digitalization, it could be possible to involve customers more in their own processes. Clients in the social sector sometimes feel left out of their own affairs. With the help of various applications, it would be possible for customers to participate more actively in updating their situation and planning customer processes. 

Digital services in the social sector can speed up and facilitate the availability of services, but their effectiveness should always be evaluated from the customer’s perspective. Services that do not improve the customer’s situation in some way are not useful. 

GDPR

The digital society is associated with information security problems, for example data breaches and identity theft. There is also a risk of loss of privacy when an increasingly large part of people’s lives is online in one way or another. Changes in working life and society can also affect the lives of individuals both positively and negatively. 

As digitization develops, matters related to information security and individual privacy have become increasingly important. Individuals’ personal information is often collected, and individuals have not always known what their personal information is used for. GDPR, i.e. General Data Protection Regulation, is a regulation of the European Union that regulates the rules for data protection and the processing of personal data. The goal of the GDPR is to strengthen the rights of individuals to their own personal data and to set stricter requirements for organizations that process this data. The purpose of GDPR is to ensure that companies process personal data on legal grounds and at the same time also ensure the security, data protection and confidentiality of personal data. GDPR makes it possible for individuals to find out what their data is used for and how it is stored. 

At my workplace, at the beginning of the employment relationship, training related to data protection is required. The organization also has clear operating instructions for possible data security breaches. 

ChatGPT

I’m studying to become an early support specialist, which is why I asked AI about early support issues. I asked what early support is in child protection and how families can be supported at an early stage. I also asked if there are any studies on early support. AI gave good basic answers to the topics. However, I noticed that if I don’t know how to ask exactly the right questions, I also don’t get the answers I want. AI can help with ideas and planning the topic, but it cannot give me scientifically valid answers. That’s why reading scientific literature and research is still the best way to get well-founded, valid and up-to-date information. 

In my own work, so far I have not been able to use AI. I feel that I get answers to my problems and questions more easily from, for example, colleagues and the internet. However, I think that AI could help me solve problems if I practiced using it more in the future. 

Self evaluation 

Technology has entered my life and work gradually and almost unnoticed. I handle more and more things with the help of technological applications and less and less in person with people. I haven’t reflected much on how technology has affected me, even though it has had a big impact on both my personal and professional life. I feel that many things are easier these days when I can take care of them quickly and on my own schedule. However, the development of technology is so fast that one should constantly learn something new. It’s tiring sometimes. My children are much more skilled users of technology because they grew up in a completely different environment than I did. I think that I should also be more curious and eager to learn new things, because the world will continue to change, whether I want it to or not. If I also want to manage my work in the future and be able to take care of my own affairs, I must strive to stay involved in the development. 

Blogs I commented: https://blogi.savonia.fi/karoliinakiviaho/ https://blogi.savonia.fi/jonnakarhapaa/