Perception of social work in the digitalizing world: The effect of the use of technology on social work interventions

Throughout history, all societies have produced technology in order to meet needs, create safe living spaces and improve conditions. Digitalization, on the other hand, has increased the importance of technology in human life. Daily life practices, production-consumption processes, social and cultural activities have entered the process of change. While digitalization has increased the comfort of human life, it has also brought various difficulties. Since the early days, services have been produced in social work for people who have difficulty accessing resources and opportunities. All systems that affect the living conditions of people constitute the focus of social work. Social work practices are socially constructed in line with the needs and expectations of people as well as theoretical knowledge. For this reason, there is a need to develop new methods in social work in order to correctly analyze the needs and problems that differ with digitalization and to increase the effectiveness of applications. In this study, digitalization; It is based on the argument that it transforms human life and behavior, forms of interaction and communication, and the structure of societies. In this context, social service applicants' access to digital resources and the effects of digitalization on applicants' lives, the use of digital technology in practice, the expectations of professionals from digitalization, whether artificial intelligence can be used to eliminate its disadvantages and realize social good are discussed. The sample of the study consisted of professionals working in Afyonkarahisar Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler İl Müdürlüğü and affiliated organizations. Interviews were conducted with semi-structured and open-ended questions. The findings were analyzed by content analysis technique. As a result of the research; It has been found that digitalization is used at a limited level in social work practices, that professional staff have expectations from digitalization to reduce the workload and increase the quality of practices, and that it is seen as a necessity to maintain human relations established with applicants such as social examination, environmental research, face-to-face communication.