Reliability of online shops
Comparing the shop prices, I found that most of the time the online prices are lower than local shop prices. Nowadays, online shops tend to give rather comprehensive customer information, detailing all parts of the product. Also, customer support is usually very fast and supportive, making it easy to send faulty or unwanted products back for free.
From what I know, however, shops like amazon are not quite reliable when it comes to prices and price fluctuations. It is no secret that prices on Amazon are calculated by algorithms, which take your search history into account as well. Due to that I once noticed that the prices for the same product varied depending on whether I used my laptop or desktop computer. To avoid being affected by these price fluctuations I started to use tools like CamelCamelCamel or Keepa to track the fluctuations and determine when the best moment for the purchase arrives.
Service from my own field
A comparable service that I frequently use is LinkedIn. You can think of this Platform as a social media page for Businesspeople. In your personal profile you can display your CV and competencies, so companies can reach out to you for job offers. You can also upload posts about any topic you want to talk about. Mostly people like to debate over current developments in economy, politics and society. The platform also includes forums, where you can keep up with or discuss specific topics. A very popular feature includes certificates that can be acquired for free or having other people verify your competencies.
To some degree one could say LinkedIn is a platform where people can sell their work and themselves on a professional level. Recruiters then can try to acquire the best talent for their companies. But like any other platform it is important to examine the retrieved information carefully. Even though you can find many posts by CEOs, keynote speakers or other famous professionals, many of the posts contain opinions rather than facts. It is easy to believe these opinions, when shared by renowned leaders, so I always try to be careful when reading through my LinkedIn feed. At the same time, it is very important to remember that many of the certificates and skills displayed in a profile are self-administered, so they provide minimal proof of how skilled people really are.
In summary, the reliability of LinkedIn is lacking as much as any other online platform – you can find plenty of information and certainly some very high-quality content. But to find out, if a person is exactly who he or she states to be online, you must look beyond the platform.
Risks of the digital gap
I believe it to be obvious that people and organizations which deny using virtual services will always be one step behind. One example is the rise of Artificial Intelligence as very powerful tools. These tools will enable people to be more knowledgeable and more efficient than ever before. I try to implement AIs as much as possible in my everyday life. It will write Emails, plan my schedule and help me research new topics and ideas. With all that straightforward work done in a minimal amount of time, I have more capacities for delivering quality results at work and additional free time.
The German social insurance systems and its challenges
Since I am an exchange student at Savonia UAS, I am not entitled to any benefits from Kela, since my German social insurance still covers for me. The German Social insurance system has 5 pillars: Insurance for Health, Retirement, Nursing, Unemployment and Accidents.
Since I am a student and work at a company, I am paying for all these insurances, but do not yet receive too many benefits. In case of getting ill or being involved in an accident, the medical bill and all the required medicine will be covered. There are other possible benefits, like student funding, which I am currently not receiving.
I would suggest that students’ benefits are not affected extensively by current trends. The student funding steadily increases over the years, following inflation and rising rent prices. It is more important to mention that health and retirement insurances currently can hardly keep up the demographic change and rising health issues, like the Covid-19 crisis or a concerning increase in mental illnesses, even in children and young adults. To keep the healthcare fees from rising (which they slowly do anyways) the government must commit to heavy additional investments into the social security system (in 2024 it has been an investment of 14.5 billion Euros). At the same time the pension-insurance fees are increasing as well from the current 18,6% of the salary to an estimated 21,3% in 2045, while the pension level will continuously sink from 50,4% of the average income in 2023 to 45,8% percent when retiring in 2035. Since I have around 45 more years ahead of me until retirement, of course I must consider what the pension is going to look like in the 2060s.
Digitalization of the German Healthcare System
Even though Germany provides a lot of social security services and extensive healthcare coverage, the level of digitalization still shows capability for improvement. In the last couple of years, a lot of healthcare insurance companies have started to implement mobile applications for dealing with any kind of paperwork. However, a lot of services remain dependent on mail or even fax. On the side of the healthcare institutions (e.g. hospitals, doctor’s offices, pharmacies) there also have been developments over the course of the last decade. It has become more common to book appointments online, which significantly relieves the workload of medical staff. Also, the use of paper is progressively reduced by introducing digital medical prescriptions and sick reports. The biggest improvement in my opinion happened just two years ago, when the health ministry introduced a digitalized medical record that is not limited to the infrastructure of a singular hospital. Before that, no medical staff could check your medical information (allergies, pre-existing diseases, current medication), unless you were already a patient of theirs. This can be dangerous, of course, when doctors must make quick decisions without knowing which medicine is compatible with the patient they attend. This reform was a huge step, since in Germany we highly value data protection and this new system would allow doctors to see private, personal or medical information, that you might not want to share if not necessary (since e.g. mental disorders or psychotherapy are still being stigmatized in society).
In conclusion I can say, that in Germany it is still a highly debated topic to which degree the digitalization of the healthcare sector is acceptable. From my perspective it would make a lot of sense to push digitalization forward as it will help the medical staff and most likely make it more user friendly.
Self-evaluation
Firstly, reflecting on the reliability of online platforms compared to local shops was quite insightful. Since shopping from my couch is way more comfortable but bears more risks. Secondly, I learned that using digital services always holds both advantages and disadvantages, as discussed. However, having considered the dangers of obstinately refusing to utilize digital services I will still implement them into my life. There just always must be a friendly reminder to keep safe.
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