Kela and OmaKanta
Our family currently uses Kela’s services related to my studies, Kela’s transaction service and the unemployed service, because I am applying for support from Kela for my studies. In accordance with the assignment, I also ordered a European medical card from Kela’s “Kela cards” tab. With this card, you can get healthcare in other EU or EEA countries, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland. Ordering the card was effortless. In my opinion, Kela’s pages are clear and easy to use.
OmaKanta can be accessed from kanta.fi and I am also familiar with this website. You can access your own health care information by logging into OmaKanta via online bank identification. After logging in, you can find, for example, health and well-being information in the left menu of the front page, where you can view your own health care information. I use OmaKanta the most for self-renewing prescriptions and viewing doctor visit information.
Employment pension website
Pension information can be found on the website työeläke.fi and the Omat eläketietosi service, whose address is keva.fi/henkiloasiakkalle/omat-elaketietosi/. By logging in, you can access a convenient pension calculator. If I were to retire at the age of 63 with current income according to current information, I would receive very little pension. At the age of 68, my pension would be a little better anyway. Fortunately, I still have a long time to be involved in working life and earn, with which I can influence the amount of my pension.
Digital store visits
I chose to visit Ebay (ebay.com), Amazon (amazon.com) and Booking.com.
Ebay is the world’s largest online store with local sites in several countries. Anyone can sell almost any good, service or product on eBay. eBay’s prices are cheaper compared to Finnish stores. If you are looking for ,for example, a solid oak dining set, which is very expensive when bought in Finland, you can get that one with six chairs on eBay for €34.15. Pretty incredible price, I say! However, not everything on eBay is super cheap, and there are no guarantees of quality. Other products are much cheaper on eBay than in Finland, some not so much.
eBay’s strength seems to be its huge product selection, and there are many products for sale that cannot be found in Finland. Product information is quite incomplete, so information must be obtained in other ways. eBay promises a delivery guarantee for its products. Trading on eBay involves trust between buyer and seller. User experiences convey the feeling that the store is relatively reliable if you know what you are doing and with whom. In the transaction, there is an opportunity for feedback between the parties. Delivery times on eBay are quite reasonable. (Sources: ebay.com and wikipedia.)
Amazon is also a large global company that sells all kinds of products, from books to logistics services. Most of the sales take place in the online store, but it also has some physical stores, mostly in America. Amazon sells both its own brands and products from retailers. Amazon’s product information is not very comprehensive and you may have to look for information elsewhere as well. There are price differences between Amazon’s country-specific online stores, and prices and deliveries are affected by the country in which you order products from Amazon. There is no Amazon in Finland yet, but Finns can order from another country’s Amazon and do so motivated by the cheaper prices.
The VAT reform that entered into force in 2021 means that currently all products ordered from outside the European Union must be paid VAT and must be cleared by customs. This often increases the price of fairly inexpensive products, and because of this, I no longer order from non-European online stores. Amazon has received criticism for many of its actions, and I personally don’t think the store’s morals are very good. However, the service and deliveries are considered quite reliable among Finns. (Sources: amazon.com, wise.com and wikipedia.)
Booking.com is one of the world’s leading digital tourism companies, where the website’s service connects travelers, means of transport and accommodation from homestays to hotels, comparing prices. My husband and I always look at customer reviews when we choose our accommodation. For this reason, I also researched site and service reviews at suomiarvostelut.fi. The Booking.com mobile app has received 4.8 out of 5 stars in the app comparison. In my opinion, the website looks visual, clear and attractive and there is enough information for the consumer. Among travel websites, Booking.com has received the third highest customer satisfaction. The service was rated above average for competitive pricing and offers, useful information, availability of booking options and ease of booking, website and connection to customer service. The service is also considered reliable. Of course, there are individual bad experiences, for example problems with refunds when the trip is canceled. (Sources: booking.com and suomiarvostelut.fi.)
HeiaHeia wellness app
I chose the wellness application HeiaHeia to present, because I am studying to become a wellness coordinator and I am widely interested in promoting wellness and health. HeiaHeia encourages work communities, different groups and individuals to get to know well-being and exercise with the help of peer support. It is a multilingual and GDPR-compliant wellness program that is well suited for remote and hybrid work and can be used in a mobile application, browser or smart device. The application offers its users various campaigns, training programs and well-being challenges, while supporting the motivation and we-spirit of the community members. There are both paid versions and a free version of HeiaHeija available.
In one course, we tested the free version of Heia Free with our group for a week, because we wanted to know how the application works and what kind of content it offers its users. We noted that the app is easy to use and includes good and easy basic exercises and informative videos, making it suitable for beginners. The free version can be a bit boring for those who have been playing sports for longer and active athletes. The good aspects of Heia Free are that it, for example, challenges you to drink enough water, gives you the opportunity to monitor your own performance in different areas and compares your performance to general exercise recommendations. It’s also good that the application allows competitive people to compete against themselves. What needs to be improved is that only certain smartwatch brands can be connected to the application, so its accessibility suffers. It would also be desirable that a short trial of the paid version would be possible for free, in which case you would be able to see all the advantages of the application. (Source: heiaheia.com)
Digitization and the “digital gap”
People who do not have the opportunity to use digital services, or do not have sufficient skills, easily fall into the “digital gap”. This means that since they don’t have the opportunity to access all the information that can be accessed with the help of digital devices, for example phone and computer, they easily miss out on many important information and become alienated from society. Face-to-face -service is difficult nowadays, and if you don’t own a smartphone or a computer, it’s difficult to pay bills, buy from online stores, or use different communication channels, for example. People who do not have smart devices, for example many elderly, poor or marginalized from society, are in an unequal position with people who have devices. Fortunately, there are places where you can access the devices for free, such as libraries, schools and employment agencies. Perhaps the best aspect of digital services is that they are independent of time and place.
In the digital world, it is especially important to have media literacy, criticality of sources and, in general, the so-called internet, so that you can find relevant information in the online world and it is safe to move there while maintaining your own information security. For this reason, the Internet should be taught to children and young people from childhood by parents and schools. Opportunities must also be organized for the elderly to learn how to use digital devices.
Digital proficiency test
The test result was as I expected: I am quite good at searching for information and evaluating it critically. I am also an active participant and my social awareness is high. I am aware of the connection between health and digital technology, I am capable of identity management measures and I am mostly aware of the laws related to digitalization. I am also quite good at using self-service channels and can choose the most suitable media for my needs at any given time, and I am able to collaborate using digital devices. On the other hand, I have a rather poor grasp of technical areas, such as areas related to assembly, automation, data storage, production and research. If I have problems with machines and equipment, I always rely on my husband, which is not a good thing at all.
Self-assessment
In this task, we have adventured as “digital citizens” on the internet and got to know various electronic online services and commercial platforms, which were already quite familiar to me. In the previous course, I have also already thought about falling into the digital pit. However, thanks to the digital proficiency test, I realized that I still have a lot to learn in the areas where I scored poorly and I should understand that it is important to start investing in strengthening my weak areas. I can’t always rely on my husband when there are problems with digital devices!
I commented
Johanna’s pages (https://blogi.savonia.fi/johanhuh/), Tari’s pages (https://blogi.savonia.fi/melearning/) and Arja’s pages (https://blogi.savonia.fi/arjasnest/digi -citizen/).