Living in a digital society means much more than using a smartphone or shopping online. For me, being a “Digi citizen” means knowing how to use digital services in everyday life, understanding their benefits and limits, and thinking critically about how they affect people. Digital services are strongly connected to welfare, health, work, money, and equality. Also digital tools can make life easier, but only when people have the skills, access, and support they need.
One important example of digital citizenship in Finland is Kela. Kela is a major provider of social security, and its services are part of many people’s daily lives. In my own life, I could use Kela services for sickness reimbursements, compensation for prescription medicines, and different forms of support connected to studying or housing, depending on my life situation. In our family, Kela as service provider is visible through services for families with children. A family may receive child benefit, which helps with everyday costs related to children. If needed, people can also apply for parental allowance, home care allowance, or housing allowance. Kela also offers support during illness, unemployment, and rehabilitation. Because of this, Kela is an important part of the Finnish welfare state. It supports both individuals and families in different life situations, makes everyday life easier, and increases financial security in a meaningful way.
When I think about digital services, I also think about health care. I checked my own health information in OmaKanta by logging in with online banking credentials. The service was clear and easy to use because I could find my prescriptions, visit notes, and lab results in one place. I did not need to contact the health center separately. OmaKanta helps me follow my medication and review earlier treatment information. It also give me a better overall view of my health and make me feel more active in taking care of myself.
Another useful digital experience was Keva’s “My Pension Information” service. I logged in with online banking credentials and used the pension calculator to compare different retirement ages. I saw that retiring at 63 would give me a lower monthly pension than retiring at 68, because working longer increases the pension amount. The service was clear and practical because it showed an estimate based on my own situation. I could also see how much pension I had already earned. This might make retirement planning easier to understand and more concrete.
Digital citizenship is also connected to being a consumer. Online shops and digital platforms, such as Verkkokauppa.com, Booking.com, and Trivago, make it easy to compare prices, products, and services. Prices are often competitive, but delivery costs, return terms, or other extra fees can increase the total cost. For example, a hotel room or product is not always cheapest through a platform compared to the seller’s own website.
These services usually provide a lot of useful information, such as product descriptions, reviews, ratings, pictures, and filters. However, too much information can also be confusing, and some reviews may not be fully reliable. The safety of a service also depends on the platform and seller. Well-known services are usually trustworthy, but consumers still need to check reviews, terms, and payment details carefully. Overall, digital services are useful, but being a digi citizen also means thinking critically before making decisions.
From the perspective of my own field, I would choose Kela’s e-service as the most relevant digital service to examine. I chose it because I work at Kela as a Team Leader, so it is directly connected to my own working environment. Kela’s electronic service is a central tool through which customers can apply for benefits, send attachments, check the status of their applications, and communicate with the authority. It is a good example of how digitalization has changed public services and made transactions smoother than before.
My own experiences with the service are mostly positive. One of its biggest strengths is that customers can handle their matters regardless of time and place. This reduces the need to visit a service point or wait in a telephone queue. From a supervisor’s perspective, digital transactions can also improve work organization and support smoother service processes. In addition, the service increases transparency because customers can follow the progress of their own application. There are also challenges. Not all customers have enough digital skills, proper devices, or strong identification to use electronic services. The language and instructions may also feel complicated for some users. For this reason, it is important that personal guidance and accessible alternatives remain available alongside digital services. This is one of the most important lessons for me: a good digital service is not only efficient, but also inclusive.
Digitalization brings many benefits, but it can also increase inequality for people who do not use electronic services. The digital divide means exactly this difference between those who have the possibility, skills, and tools to use digital services and those who do not. For people who do not use virtual services, there are many risks and challenges. One of the biggest problems is being left outside essential services. Many important services, such as banking, health, social, and public authority services, have been moved online. If a person cannot use them, managing everyday matters becomes much harder. This may increase dependence on family members or professionals.
Another risk is access to information. Current information, instructions, appointments, and decisions often come in digital form. A person who does not use digital services may miss important information and opportunities to participate in society. This can weaken the feeling of inclusion and independence. In addition, there are financial and psychological challenges. Face-to-face or telephone service may take more time and money. At the same time, a person may feel stress, uncertainty, shame, or exclusion. In this way, the digital divide is not only a technical issue but also a social one. Society must therefore offer support, guidance, and alternative ways of handling matters for everyone.
Self-reflection
These assignments helped me understand digital citizenship in a deeper and more practical way. Before my studies, I mainly thought of digital services as tools that make life easier. Now I see them also as part of participation, equality, and citizenship. I learned that digital systems could support people very well when they are clear, safe, and user-friendly. At the same time, I know that not everyone starts from the same point. Some people need more support, simpler language, or non-digital options.
I also reflected on my own role as both a user of digital services and a professional working in an organization that provides them. I realized that I already trust many digital systems in my daily life, especially in health and social services. However, these assignments reminded me that trust must be earned through clarity, accessibility, and reliability. This assignment reminded me to look at digital services not only from my own perspective, but also from the perspective of different users. Digitalization should not only be about efficiency, but also about fairness and human needs.
Blogs I commented:
Hi Hanna,
I enjoyed reading your post. I couldn’t agree more with the statement ‘ a good digital service is not only efficient, but also inclusive.’ I work within clinical care, and I see a lot of the digital divide. Unfortunately, those who are ‘left behind’ are the elderly and immigrants who do not have sufficient Finnish or Swedish language skills. As you said, the digital gap makes these groups of people miss out on a lot of information and opportunities, and they feel excluded from society. We really need to do better to be more inclusive as we continue to build digital services and solutions.
Hi Hanna! As you mentioned in your self-reflection as well, your text raises good points both from the perspective of an individual and a professional using digitalized services. You portrayed the issue with digital gap in an comprehensive way in your text.