May 9, 2022
Why We Need Digital Museums in 2022
What comes to your mind when you hear the word, “museum”? It’s easy to imagine the traditional space filled with as much history as it is filled with dust. Have you ever gotten bored walking through these traditional museums?
As we all know, there is a vivid picture of where our world is going with technology laying an imprint on every detail of our lives every day. We can’t live without technology. This makes us understand that we have to evolve with the changes of our time. The pertinent question here is: does this change have to affect the spaces where our past is being connected to our present? What happens to Museums — these highly curated spaces are the bridge between us and our cultural identity?
The Structure of the museums is solely dependent on who’s curating it and the extensive knowledge of the historians present. Though traditional museums may have an unprecedented way of preserving history and culture, there’s no argument that would change the fact that museums need to adopt a more digital approach to preserving culture. Evolving with tech trends in this regard would mean depicting history in a way that is understandable, educative, and innovative.
In honour of the International Museum Day on May 18th, here are 3 reasons why museums should go more digital;
- Digital Storytelling enhances the Museum experience — Museums are avatars for storytelling, and there is no better way to tell such authentic stories unless through digital media. Technology has made this possible through mediums such as VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality), this offers visitors an immersive experience where they can fully interact with and engage with the stories told.
- No need to hide anything- Gone are the days when curators or historians had to hide art collections or artifacts from the public eye due to security and preservation. With digital publishing tools, you can see everything on the internet or through virtual/ visual content, this does not only keeps what you hiding safe, but people get a clear picture of the story behind such important pieces.
- Access to a large scale Audience- Today’s world is so digitally fast-paced, with everyone embracing the new norm, museums should leverage this known fact, giving way to a global scale audience, with live streams and virtual tours, this cultural shift is changing the way people see museums and their relevance in our society.
With everything within our reach, thanks to the impact technology has on human life, museums should take advantage of this digital shift in order for history and culture not to be easily forgotten.
