I work as a family counselor in early support servises. Interaction is my most important work tool. I prefer to meet people as live. In a live meeting it is possible to see a person’s whole essence and body-talk. Of course it is also possible to establish contact as a remotely. With a remote connection the contact may sometimes feel even closer than live, because you are completely face-to-face with the customer on the screen. Corona-time made also me to take a huge digital leap. Nowadays it is familiar to exploid digital working environments with clients and working partners. I see many possibilities how to utilize digitalisation as an instrument that brings people together. Same time I see many challenges that makes people to separate. Whole digitalisation is so huge ensemble that it feels hard to manage. I think that we need a lot of important co-working to developing this digital system to be a safe, effective, appropriate and equal tool in social services.
Safetyness is one of the keywords. I believe that the security is the thing that needs continuous development. I read an interesting finnish book, Kaikki saa tietää – minä ja Vastaamon tietomurto (Meri Auer 2024.). Freely translated: Everyone will know – me and Vastaamo´s data breach (Meri Auer 2024). This book was in my mind while I studied this Digitalised working environment -course. It made me to think how vulnerable this digitalsed world is. It also made me to appreciate the privacy. It may do enormous harm if the digital security is at hazard.
I must say that I am worried how social media and cookies affects our thougts and society. When digitalisation expands, the world shrinks. How could people maintain their open-mindness and healty multiformed connections in the midlle of this AI-chosen information and cookies?
As a social service worker and student, I am particularly concerned about the effects of social media on people’s mental health. Children and young people spend a lot of time on social media. I can’t help wondering what else they could be doing at this same time as they spent in social media. I do understand that young people’s social relationships are located also in social media. However, I think that growing children and youth needs also live-encounters to develop their safe social skills. I hope that the legislation regarding social media can be reformed as needed. Unfortunately, there is currently a lot of harmful content that is easily accessible to children and young people. Security of social media should definitely be developed.
I asked the AI a question: how can people´s freedom of thougth be secured in the digital age? AI answered by telling information about gbdr, non-control, security systems and transparency. Aswer was versatile. I also asked, how can peoples diversity on thought be secured. Ai tolk, that it is a comlicated challenge. Ways to support diversity of thinking are forexample: teaching critical media reading and developing algorithm systems. AI tells that platforms and media need to ne encouraged to bring out a wide variety of voices and perspectives.
I was a bit surpresed how much basic information AI had about early support services. Information was still pretty superficial, but it was able to describe needs how to develope these services. AI knew that early support needs to be developed in such a way that the need for remedial social services will reduced. At the moment using of AI still feels a little bit strange for me, but I believe that using AI will increase in the future. I think that it is challenging that AI does not verify the information it contains as correct with the help of data sources. Thats why the AI-information should be viewed critically. At the same time, the information gathered by AI seems quite extensive. I believe that in thew future the AI will replace using Google. In some cases – propably many cases, that we can´t even imagine yet – AI can be very useful. For example gathering information and doing so-called paperwork, AI can be an important help for human beings. I’m going to learn more about AI and try to use some new AI-tool.