Abstract
There is a prevalent belief in the UK museum sector that posting on social media helps museums reach larger and more diverse audiences. However, recent studies have shown that museums’ online audiences are generally no more diverse than their on-site counterparts. Our research analyses over 3,400 UK museums’ social media accounts over two years to investigate why this is the case. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, we use statistical analysis alongside supporting interviews with museum professionals to ask which digital strategies work. Moving beyond the strategies of ‘superstar’ museums with large digital teams and significant resources at their disposal, we explore how social media success may look across the entire sector. After outlining general trends in the data, we will spotlight the successes and innovative practices of two groups of museums: those based in rural Scotland and transport museums. These two examples saw – somewhat unexpectedly – large and highly engaged international audiences throughout the pandemic. By looking in-depth at their online offering, we explore how they were able to cultivate an open dialogue with online audiences and converted online engagement into on-site visits. Situating these examples in lessons from the wider sector, we aim to provide clear takeaways for museums and outline a different model of social media success.
Presenters
Ellen CharlesworthPhD Student, English Studies, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Social Media, Digital Strategies, Data Analysis, Audience Engagement
