Impact of Digitalization on Visual Arts Consumers’ Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Generational Perspective of Art Management

Abstract

The virtualisation of the aesthetic experience influences the scope of artistry and creativity of the visual artwork and the quality of participation in visual arts. Due to variances in perception qualities between individuals belonging to particular generations, this report aims to assess the impact of the participation form (in-real or digital) in the aesthetic situation by the recipients from certain generations. The quality of participation in visual arts was assessed using ten criteria. Qualitative data exploration based on a worldwide sample from 22 countries (n = 87) shows that the participation form in visual arts determines participation quality level in the aesthetic situation by generations otherwise. Significant determinants exist among generations in participation in visual arts and between particular forms of participation. This report did not look for the reasons for these differences; only additional comparative qualitative research can try to reveal them. The research results should acquire the interest of: 1) Visual arts creators looking for the optimal way of distributing artworks among recipients from different generations; 2) Visual arts managers and marketers for a multi-layered understanding of generation-diversified visual arts recipients’ perspectives and their preferences about participation in visual arts in-real or digitally; 3) Visual arts recipients to assess their opinion about the modes of participation in visual arts with the preferences of other recipients belonging to certain generations.