MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE IN THE DIGITAL AGE. THE CHALLENGE OF CULTURAL CHANGE AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

Abstract

Museums are reinventing themselves in response to the COVID-19 emergency. The pandemic has increased inequalities and widened disparities in accessing heritage and in participation to cultural life. On the basis of the results of ICOM's 2020 global surveys, this paper shows how museums benefited of the opportunities of digital innovation during the lockdown. The pandemic is accelerating the digital change and interactive technologies are enabling museums to interact with communities more efficiently and attract new public. The paper addresses the impact on museums of the crisis of global mobility and mass tourism and point out to the need of new business models and exhibition policies. It calls for public support to museums' cultural, technological and managerial innovation and it shows that the challenges of the digital world require new interdisciplinary competencies and more professional interaction. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.