New Media Trends What’s happening in U.S. museums in 2016
New Media TrendsWhat’s happening in U.S. museums in 2016
A little context
I work at PEM
PEM looks like this…
and like this…
Four digital trends American museums face in 2016• New video formats (360º,
3D)
• indoor navigation and location-based services
• grassroots initiatives “making the future you want to live in”
• social media and connecting museum staff to online communities
New video formatsThe brave new world of 360º and 3D video
360º video: Not quite ready, but very exciting
The good news: You don’t need a ton of equipment.
The good news: Platforms are pushing it – hard.
The bad news: It’s not professional quality yet.
More bad news: It’s not yet supported in all browsersChrome Safari
The results:Hopefully you’ll see something when you click on the video
3D (VR) Video – almost there…
Still 5-10 years from mainstream adoption
Indoor navigationGiving people what they want, based on where they are
The Holy GrailYour phone is able to provide you with content relevant to where you are in the museum, without you telling it, or punching in a number, or scanning a QR code, or…
An early winThe Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
Hobart, Australia, 2011
Universal distribution + brute force Wifi
This year’s success storySan Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) & Detour
San Francisco, USA
A huge critical success
The recipe for success?• Unusual content
• Choice of content
• Up-to-date content
• An indoor map that really works
Grassroots initiativesOr “making the future you want to live in”
The power of the #hashtagThe modern Internet gives individuals great ability to make their voices heard in ways that were impossible in the last century.
The “signal boost” that can happen when like-minded individuals share content and spread it through their personal networks can cause ideas to spread rapidly.
The # sign has become an important part of everyday life.
Examples of hashtag campaignsSocial issues:
#svegliamuseo – “Wake up, museums!” Campaign to shame Italian museums into paying more attention to digital
#DropBP – Campaign to get the British Museum to drop British Petroleum as a sponsor
#MuseumWorkersSpeak – Campaign to highlight and change unfair labor practices in museums.
#museumsrespondtoferguson – Campaign to mobilize American museums against violence against African-Americans.
Awareness raising:
#askacurator
#empty___ (#emptymet, #emptymfa, etc…)
#InstaSwap (London, NYC, LA, etc…)
#historichousecrush
The renaissance of podcasts and blogsPodcasts Blogs
Why the renewed interest?PodcastsIntimate,
Conversational,
Longform,
Immersive,
Personality-driven(what radio used to be)
BlogsPersonal,
Informal,
Longform
What do they have in common?• They have low startup costs
• They’re easy to launch as low-risk “experiments”
• They give voice to a variety of staff, not just curators and executives.
• Their success is easy to quantify (downloads and pageviews)
An example: CODE | WORDS
What was the rationale?A peer-organized response to a perceived lack of informed discourse around issues of theory and digital technologies within the museum space.
How it worked
Rob Stein me Suse Cairns
+ +
Museum professionals PhD student
We talked a lot about wanting to affect change
We talked more, with peers all over the world
We organized a group around ideas• Making the value statement for museums in a digital age - How can museums
measure what’s important and not just what’s easy?
• Digital curation - What does it mean to collect and preserve digital media, art, and information?
• The politics of new technologies - New takes on power, audience, and authority.
• Dialogue and discourse in museums - Who’s talking and who’s listening?
• Creativity, innovation, and technology - Is there a relationship between the three that’s unique to museums?
• Eschewing both techno-fetishism and techno-fandom. - Technology can’t solve all the problems in the world, or the museum.
Used free tools to spread the word
What did it generate?• A collection of essays on Medium (a free-to-use publishing platform)
https://medium.com/code-words-technology-and-theory-in-the-museum
• >50,000 views to date
• Several conference presentations and collaborations
• And a book!
And it goes on…CODE | WORDS v2.0
Social media & staffConnecting museums to online audiences through people
Staff contributers to the PEM blogAmy Curtis
Annie Lundsten
Austen Barron Bailly
Barbara Pero Kampas
Becky Vitale
Caitlin Lowrie
Carla Galfano
Caryn M. Boehm
Catherine Robertson
Chip Van Dyke
Claire Blechman
Craig Tuminaro
Dan Finamore
Dave O'Ryan
David Thibodeau
Delia Faria
Dinah Cardin
Doneeca Thurston
Ed Rodley
Edie Shimel
Ellen Soares
Elliot Isen
Emily Fry
Eric Wolin
Gail Spilsbury
Gavin Andrews
Gordon Wilkins
Guest Contributor
Janet Blyberg
Janey Winchell
Jay Finney
Jim Olson
Juliette Fritsch
Karen Kramer
Kathy Fredrickson
Katie Theodoros
Kerry Schneider
Kurt Weidman
Leanne Schild
Linnea DiPillo
Lisa Incatasciato
Lisa Kosan
Lucille Wymer
Lynda Hartigan
Lynne Francis-Lunn
Maddie Kropa
Martine Malengret-Bardosh
Matthew Del Grosso
Meg Winikates
Melissa Woods
Michelle Moon
Mimi Leveque
Nicole Polletta
Paula Richter
Penny Bigmore
Rebecca Bednarz
Sarah Jennette
Shoshana Resnikoff
Sidney Berger
Siri Schoonderbeek
Sona Datta
Susan Flynn
Susanna Brougham
Victoria Glazomitsky
Walter Silver
Whitney Van Dyke
The goal: digital literacyWorking in digital spaces – Social media platforms, Wikipedia, Google Art Project
Professional development – Vital for staff to understand enough about the digital realm to make informed decisions
Cultural transformation – Incorporating digital in existing processes rather than developing separate ones.
Staff empowerment – Opportunity for staff to demonstrate digital skills they have
What does a 21st century curator look like?
They expose the inner workings of the museum, through their own unique lens
The goal? 100% participation• All the curators establish social media presences
• Move on to executive leadership
• Continue to encourage all staff to participate as they see fit. This is not a mandate, but a request.
Questions?
Thanks! Ed Rodley Peabody Essex Museum (www.pem.org) Tel: +1 978 542-1849 Email: [email protected] Social Media: @erodley