Why haven’t museums embraced more of a multimedia approach to social media?
Museums And Social MediaMuseums sometimes seem to have a split identity — some institutions are on the bleeding edge of innovation, taking full advantage of the internet and technology in spreading access to their collections and programming. Others are stuck in the past, operating just how they might have decades ago with administrations unwilling to push technological initiatives. A report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project on “Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies” provides a fascinating insight into just how museums and other cultural institutions view their relationship to the web.
The study collected data from 1,258 arts organizations, which were drawn from a list of 5,773 National Endowment for the Arts grantees. 84% of the organizations are nonprofits, and 13% focus principally on the visual arts, while others take on music, theater, literature, and design, among other disciplines.
Below, we collected some points we learned from the report about how these institutions employ technology and the internet in the hope of expanding their audiences, aiding staff, and augmenting programming.
How Much Social Media Is Enough?
Pew’s group of responders all had social media presences, but it’s interesting to see just how energy is put into social networks:
99% of those surveyed use Facebook (compared to 17% on Google+),
74% use Twitter, and
67% use YouTube (compared to 23% on Vimeo),
38% use Flickr (compared to only 7% on Instagram),
31% use LinkedIn,
20% use Foursquare,
but only 13% are active on Tumblr.
Most museums use between 2 and 6 social networks and post “several times a week.”Facebook and Twitter are useful in conveying information to fans, but they’re not so great for multimedia experiences. The multimedia-friendly social networks actually seem to get less play for museums. A tight majority of 56% of respondents believe that social media has a major impact on “boosting your organization’s public profile,” so maybe it’s not so unbelievable that some institutions are sluggish on social media.
From Hyperallergic – why haven’t museums embraced more of a multimedia approach to social media?
- Lately AI – Work faster and smarter - February 6, 2024
- How to use layers in Instagram Stories - January 29, 2024
- Hashtag selection the easy way - January 10, 2024