Today, digital tools and services are touching every aspect of society. I, as a digital citizen I participate in those services and transformation in my personal and professional life. Being a digital citizen does not only mean to use internet, but it is more than that, it is using proper communication tools, health services, responsibilities and security. As person living in Finland for couple year I will reflect on my experience with Finnish digital services such as Kela and OmaKanta.
The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) is necessary for everyday life for residents. It provides different services like health insurance coverage, student financial aid, housing allowance, and family benefits as well. Personally, I have used Kela services for only a few years now, as before I was an International student and was not entitled to any benefits. However, when I became an employee, I applied for a Kela card and got it in less than two weeks. What stands out to me is how digitalised and efficient Kela is. Their online services allow you to track your messages online, get your decisions, or get informed if there is something new concerning your case. This is time-saving and reduces paperwork and waiting times. Today, everything can be done online, from filling out papers to signing them.
As my parents are living outside Europe, they follow a different health system in my country which is very different than European one. The login to Kela requires a strong identification with online banking credentials, once logged in you can get all information you want easily, and also it is possible to translate the website in English if you do not understand Finnish language or Swedish.
OmaKanta, is one of the pages I visit often because I have multiple appointments with different doctors and follow ups and blood tests that should be done every three to six months. It is user friendly and allows you to see the doctor diagnosis on your health case and also if you are in a need to renew the medicine prescription it can be done quickly in one click. Another good thing is that you can use the filter and check only the dates you want, also, whenever you need to know all information about your medical treatments and next treatments, it is easier now because there is transparency and the patient gets more control and make the communication with healthcare providers easier.
I do not have an European health insurance card, but logged in to OmaKela to request one. The steps were easy, filling the form, confirmation and the cards arrives to your address by post. Now, when I get my European health insurance card and travel abroad, I can still pay the same amount as I pay for healthcare service in Finland.
Keva and pension calculation
I also visited the Keva website, but unfortunately, I could not get any information regarding my pension estimation when retiring at 63 and at 68. Even though I could not see my pension details, but the website has all the information an individual will need, and it was easy to use and navigate. Now, I am more concerned about knowing what my pension will be when I retire. I will check the website again later, and if I am unable to calculate my retirement, I will contact their customer service or call them to get some help regarding that.
Digital shops
I checked Booking.com and Trivago.fi to compare the prices of the same hotel. Trivago.fi sent me to the main page of the hotel, while Booking.com allowed me to reserve the room on the same website. The prices are different; Booking.com is more expensive than Trivago.fi. Normally, when I want to book and hotel, I use multiple websites and compare them to choose the cheapest one; however, it takes more time and effort, but it helps me save some money. In terms of reliability, large platforms like Booking.com or Trivago.fi are trustworthy, but smaller sellers may not provide complete information and sometimes might be scammers. For me, I only focus on the most used websites and those that have an excellent customer service in case of any troubles with the website, or any reservation cancellation, or payment.
Application from my field
My job requires using different digital tools, as a sales and marketing specialist in an IT company, digital tools are essential. The most used tool is Canva, a platform that help me create visuals for social media posts and all marketing materials. It supports visual communication and presents information clearly to our audience. Another tool that I like to use when it comes to CRM is Pipedrive. It helps organize sales processes and customer data. With Pipedrive, I can manage communication, create new leads, and follow up easily. Canva and Pipedrive are digital tools that help improve productivity, communication, and collaboration in the workplace.
Digital gap and risks
Finland is a highly digitalised country, but not everyone is participating equally. The elderly people are still using traditional ways, this is because of limited skills, and sometimes afraid of technology. For example, the older generation may face difficulties logging in to Omakanta and using their banking credentials, which will make them depend on another person, but still do not have the trust to share their personal information, like their bank account user ID or other sensitive information. Another example is when they buy from any shop, they always prefer to take a paper receipt rather than receiving an electronic receipt via email or phone. Those people might miss out on many opportunities, like healthcare access, and social interactions, and there is always a need for a social worker to follow up and inform them about any activities where they can participate. Since the elderly population is higher than the young population in Finland, this creates a digital gap between the two generations. This gap can lead to digital exclusion and also create digital risks that can lead to online scams, misinformation, and privacy violations. In order to reduce this gap, Finland is focusing on digital education for elderly people and provides user-friendly e-services that everyone can navigate easily.
My digital competence test
My digital competence test results illustrate strong communication skills and safety. That means I am aware of how to use digital tools responsibly and collaborate online effectively. I also have a good score when it comes to information handling and a lower score in production, but that only indicates that I can still improve technically. From this test, I noticed that I have a balanced competence profile with many strengths, like in communication, ethics, and critical evaluation.
Self-reflection
By writing this post, I realize the big role of digital services in our daily lives. Everything is connected to online platforms, starting from healthcare to education, communication, banking, and even daily shopping. The online services provided nowadays make life much easier, saving time and effort, and allowing us to solve problems easily from anywhere without the need to be present in person at a specific location. Personally, I could not imagine my life without technology and digital services.
As a millennial, I have witnessed technology grow and develop, and it is impossible to imagine my life without it today. Many tools and services did not exist, and everything required face-to-face interaction. Now that everything is digital, I can easily do different tasks in the same hour just by a few clicks on my phone. Technology is deeply integrated into our routines and makes our days more convenient. At the same time, I understand that our parents and grandparents do not have the same confidence in technology, and that creates the gap between generations. Having experienced life both before and during digital transformation, I would say that technology is very powerful, but it is always important to be digitally educated and understand how the systems work in order to use them safely and protect personal information.
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