Social Service Professionals as Early Adopters in an Increasingly Digital World
Normann, Maria; Kanervo, Riikka (2025)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025110527122
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025110527122
Tiivistelmä
This article explores how social service professionals act as early adopters in responding to emerging digital phenomena, such as online intimacy and romance scams. Using the Finnish Romance Scam Recovery Project as a case study, the authors highlight the importance of documentation in project-based work and service development.
The project supported nearly 200 victims and collected valuable data on the harms of romance scams, including financial loss, emotional distress, and social isolation. The findings informed new tools like a MOOC course and a self-help guide and contributed to future project planning.
The article argues that social service professionals are not only service providers but also knowledge producers and change agents. Their ability to combine experiential knowledge with systematic documentation enables ethical, evidence-based service development in a rapidly changing digital world.
The project supported nearly 200 victims and collected valuable data on the harms of romance scams, including financial loss, emotional distress, and social isolation. The findings informed new tools like a MOOC course and a self-help guide and contributed to future project planning.
The article argues that social service professionals are not only service providers but also knowledge producers and change agents. Their ability to combine experiential knowledge with systematic documentation enables ethical, evidence-based service development in a rapidly changing digital world.