Digital Services in Everyday Life and Working Life
Digitalization has changed everyday life significantly during the last decades. Many services that previously required visiting offices or shops can now be accessed online. In Finland especially, digital public services are widely used and citizens are expected to manage many services through digital platforms. This development has improved efficiency and accessibility, but it also requires people to have digital skills and access to digital devices.
In my own life I have used several Finnish digital services. One important public service organization in Finland is the Social Insurance Institution, KELA. Personally, I have not used many KELA benefits during my working life. When I was younger and studying in upper secondary school at the age of sixteen, I received student financial aid from KELA. Later in my life I completed my studies while working, so I did not need student financial support during those studies.
However, KELA has played a role during other stages of my life. I am a mother of five children, and during maternity leave and parental leave I received daily allowances from KELA. These benefits are designed to support families when parents stay at home with their children. Apart from these situations, I have not used many other KELA benefits. The only other services I have used are reimbursements for medicines and occasionally reimbursements for visits to private healthcare services.
Another digital service I have used is the European Health Insurance Card. I applied for this card about fifteen years ago. The card allows Finnish citizens to receive medically necessary healthcare in other European countries under the same conditions as local residents. It is particularly useful when travelling in Europe and provides a sense of security if medical treatment is needed abroad.
I have also accessed my personal healthcare information through the OmaKanta service. OmaKanta is a national digital healthcare service where citizens can see their medical records, prescriptions and other healthcare information. I accessed OmaKanta through the website using a mobile certificate for identification. I used a computer to log in, although I often check healthcare information on my phone as well. The service is easy to use and provides a clear overview of prescriptions and healthcare records. It also allows citizens to see when medications were prescribed and when they can be renewed.
Another interesting digital service in Finland is the pension calculator. I checked my estimated pension through the pension service. According to the calculation, my lowest retirement age will be 66 years and 2 months, which means that I will reach my retirement age in January 2042. The calculator does not allow calculating retirement at the age of 63 because that would mean early retirement due to disability. According to the current estimate, if I retire at my lowest retirement age my monthly pension would be approximately 3759 euros. If I continue working longer, the pension amount would increase. For example, retiring at the age of 70 would increase the estimated pension to over 4800 euros per month.
Digitalization has also changed consumer behaviour, especially through online shopping platforms. Many people use online services to compare prices and products before making purchases. One online service that I personally use quite often is Zalando. Zalando is a large European online fashion store that offers clothing, shoes and accessories from many different brands.
One reason why I like using Zalando is the wide selection of products. It is possible to find clothing for many different situations, from everyday clothes to more formal clothing. Compared to local shops, the selection is much larger, which makes it easier to find suitable items. This is particularly helpful when living in smaller towns where local shops may have a more limited selection.
The Zalando website and mobile application are also very user-friendly. The service allows customers to filter products by size, brand, colour, price and style. This makes searching for suitable items efficient. One feature that I find especially useful is the possibility to mark favourite items and return to them later. This allows the user to compare products before making a final decision.
Another advantage of Zalando is the payment options and customer benefits. In many cases customers can order products and pay later, which creates a sense of security when shopping online. Loyal customers may also receive discounts and personalized recommendations based on previous purchases.
In terms of reliability, Zalando is generally considered a trustworthy online service. It is a well-known European company, and the website provides clear product descriptions, photos and customer reviews. These help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Online shopping platforms like Zalando demonstrate how digitalization has changed the way people buy products and compare prices.
Despite the many benefits of digitalization, there are also challenges related to the digital divide. The digital divide refers to the gap between people who have access to digital services and those who do not. Not everyone has the same digital skills, access to devices or opportunities to use online services.
For people who do not use digital services, many everyday activities can become more difficult. For example, they may not be able to compare prices easily or access competitive online offers. In smaller towns where physical shops are limited, online stores may provide access to products that are otherwise unavailable locally. Without digital skills, people may miss these opportunities.
Another challenge is that many services are increasingly available only online. If someone does not use digital services, they may find it difficult to manage important tasks such as banking, booking appointments or accessing official information. This can lead to social exclusion, especially for older people or individuals who have limited digital skills.
As part of this assignment I also completed the Digital Competence Test. The test evaluated different aspects of digital skills such as information management, communication, content production and safety. According to the results, my strongest areas were information and communication skills. These areas received scores of approximately 76 percent, which reflects the fact that searching for information and communicating through digital tools are regular parts of my daily work.
The results also showed relatively strong skills in safety and data protection. This area includes understanding issues such as privacy, copyright and responsible use of digital materials. These topics are important in many professional environments, especially when working with digital information and communication platforms.
The area where I scored slightly lower was digital production. This area includes skills related to creating digital content and configuring digital systems. Although I regularly use digital tools in my work, there are still opportunities to develop these skills further.
Overall, completing this assignment helped me reflect on how strongly digitalization affects everyday life and working life. Digital technologies make many services easier and more accessible, but they also require continuous learning and development of digital skills. I also realized how important it is to think critically about digital services, data protection and responsible use of technology.
In the future I would like to develop my digital competence further, especially in areas related to digital content production, data protection and the use of artificial intelligence in working life. Digital technologies will continue to evolve, and it is important to stay informed and adaptable in a constantly changing digital environment.
Sources
ChatGPT 5.3.: https://chat.openai.com
European Commission – Data Protection Rules (GDPR): https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection_en
KELA – Social Insurance Institution of Finland: https://www.kela.fi
Keva – Public Sector Pensions and Pension Calculator: https://www.keva.fi
OmaKanta – Finnish National Health Data Service: https://www.kanta.fi
Zalando Online Store: https://www.zalando.com
Blogs I commented:
https://blogi.savonia.fi/samihalttunen/3-digi-citizen/
https://blogi.savonia.fi/johannamyllys/digi-citizen/
https://blogi.savonia.fi/suvirantamaki/digi-citizen/