The use of social media in Greek museums during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT For future historians, the year 2020 will undoubtedly represent the beginning of the twenty-first century, as the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic holistically shaped the fate of humanity for years to come, severely affecting all sectors even cultural organizations. Despite all of the challenges and problems caused by the pandemic, it has encouraged the development of a new digital landscape, through the services of which each museum will be able to expand its reputation and maintain and strengthen contact with its visitors, developing meaningful dialog and communication with them. To capture the reactions of Greek museums towards the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the present quantitative research aims to examine issues of digital presence in social media, as well as their management practices. The study partly reveals the museums’ efforts to modernize, but it also demonstrates their inability to listen to and implement the standard practices of international institutions.