Digital Communication in Museums: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

According to the precepts of the new museology, museums came to play a very significant social and pedagogical role throughout the 20th century. Today, beyond the physical space, museum institutions have the possibility of further democratizing access to their cultural content and disseminating knowledge among population. With digitalization and technology development, communication has undergone changes at various levels. On the one hand, the media have moved toward convergence; whereas on the other hand, the way in which institutions and users interact has also been affected by participatory culture. Based on this scenario, this research analyzes museum communication through digital media. More specifically, content analysis will be applied to a sample of 100 museums in Brazil, Spain, Mexico, and Portugal to observe how they communicate through official websites and on Instagram. Ultimately, it will be verified whether these tools act as potential promoters of access to culture and heritage.