The Power of Using Social Media in Museums for Better Engagement

Document Type : Research Articles

Author

Helwan university

Abstract

This article draws attention to the unlimited roles of the use of social media in museums and highlights the need of engaging museum communities by using it. Social media can open an endless discussion and understanding of museums’ collections. It also can remove museums’ physical walls and make engagement much easier for many users with physical access difficulties through its diverse platforms including Facebook and Instagram. In addition, it opens the doors for more creativity, designs, concepts, and ideas in museums. Social media is an effective tool and capable to turn visitors into active participants. According to (Nina Simon 2010), engaging in participatory museums can occur at different levels starting from the users as passive consumers, and ending with the full participatory atmosphere. The increasing access to the Internet has put the power of communication in museums. Furthermore, social media can help museums to generate or develop public knowledge by letting participants share images, information, and experiences with surrounding groups of people.

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