Digital Engagement and Wellbeing: The Impact of Museum Digital Resources on User Wellbeing During COVID-19

Abstract

The global “COVID-19” pandemic resulted in national lockdowns and the closure of museums to visitors. The pandemic had considerable negative impact on individual, community, and society wellbeing and changed museum practice, specifically through increased online presence. This pilot research sought to start to understand the impact online museum provisions had on individual wellbeing during the pandemic. It applied and adapted public health accredited measures to begin to provide empirical quantifiable evidence of the impact and significance of online museum resources on user wellbeing during the pandemic and to consider the value of digital technology within sustainable heritage practices. It sought to consider if the integration of wellbeing objectives into museum digital interpretative strategies could provide a mechanism to support sustainable museum practice and wider social, economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability agendas. This pilot research indicated that digital museum resources had specific and significant impact on user wellbeing and suggested that further research is needed to understand the impact of digital technology within museums and its impact and role in both improving wellbeing and reducing wellbeing inequality.