Negotiating hybridity, inequality, and hyper-visibility: museums and galleries’ social media response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article examines the impacts of COVID-19 on the digital work of museums and galleries in the UK, 2020 – 2021. Focusing on social media activity, we explore two questions: (1) How did approaches to, and institutional perceptions of, social media shift during the pandemic? and (2) Looking to the future, what practical and theoretical challenges do social media present for museums and galleries, and what are the related policy implications? The discussion draws on a mixed-methods study including an analysis of 9000 tweets, and re fl ective semi-structured interviews with 19 digital workers. Our fi ndings can help shape global digital heritage practices as we emerge from the pandemic, enabling more dynamic and meaningful forms of cultural participation, and underpinning more con fi dent and ethical social media trajectories. to