Here, I present my experiences and thoughts about digitalization and future.

I am 37 years old and I still remember when we got a computer to our home. I also remember that the internet was very loud, slow and it took like ten minutes before our computer was connected to internet. I was 12 years old when I got my first mobile phone and it was so cool to be able to contact my friends. However, back then mobile phones were only for calling and sending text messages. Today people around the world use their mobile phones in very different ways – not only for calling or messaging. Internet offers lots of tools for us on our mobile phones, so we have numerous services on our hands. For example, there are email, Whatsapp, Instagram, news and banking services. These tools have become so important to us that we feel like we can’t even live without them anymore. We use our phones almost every time when we are waiting for something or when we have to spend some time. We can use our phones and all the services when we are travelling because of wifi. In addition, social media offers social networks for people to connect with each other.

I use these digitalized services in my personal life every day. For example, I pay all our bills in the internet bank and I use Mobilepay for many payments. I also use Netflix and other applications to watch TV programs. In addition, I buy food from an internet service called Wolt. Also, if I need a doctor, I will book the appointment online. Also, Whatsapp is the communication application that I use most.

When I started working at my current job all the work was already made with computer and digitalized platforms. Customers also started using the Internet as their service channel soon after I started working in my field. After that internet and self service has taken place a lot more. In my field, digitization makes many things easier. Also many simple works are already automatized. We use digital meetings with our clients and to keep in touch with colleagues.

Digitalization and the future

The growing digitalization is of course a huge possibility not only for individuals, but also for many companies and their employees. Companies can create new ways for working and people can do their work from anywhere. Employees have the opportunity be very independent and make initiatives. Also, employees can take more responsibility for their own ways of working and create new ways to combine their work and free time. In the future I think that almost all customer service will happen on the internet in my industry. I think that almost all of offices will be closed and when clients need to meet an expert, it will happen in digi meeting. I also believe that in the future We use phone robots and chatbots on our website to help our customers.

GDPR and the risks of open digital society

When General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came to EU and Finland, I was working in an insurance company. We had to create new rules in our company on how to handle personal data and documents in the future. This meant system reforms and new ways to retain personal data. Insurance companies and banks are highly regulated, and GDPR will increase costs a lot. Customer identification is also well regulated. The most of employees say that normal working has gone a lot more difficult after GDPR was applied in 2018. In my current job, it doesn’t affect much. I think GDPR is also good thing for all of us. We all have right to know what kind of information companies have collected about us. If we wanted to know these information we only have to ask what information have been collected. Companies also have to ask permission to marketing for the clients and if we are not the clients, corporations have to destroy the information of us.

Smart machines collect a lot of data about us and that will be a problem in the future. Machines and systems are vulnerable to cyber criminals. I believe that an open world will increase cyber crime in the future. We also store more and more information online ourselves. We do things online and leave digital footprints through it. Most of us also share a lot of information about ourselves on social media channels, which can be a risk. Different scam websites are also cleverly made, and despite warnings, many fall into the trap. For example, online banking credentials are fished through scam websites.

Self evaluation

For me, this is the first time for creating a blog. At first I thought it would be quite difficult, but the instructions were detailed and easy to understand. In fact it was really interesting to learn how to build own blog.

It was interesting to read blogs written about digi society. I found many familiar things. I understood that If I want to be one of the top employees in my industry I have to study all the time, for example from digitalization, digitalized data and instruments. The studying have to be continuous and in the future the need of own development and studying will increase.

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