Transformations in cultural communication: Social media, cultural exchange, and creative connection

Throughout the cultural institution sector, shifts in audience participation call for new ways to share knowledge and view partnerships both online and onsite. Increasingly, this 'transformation in cultural communication' suggests that a new type of mutually beneficial exchange is required between audiences and museums; and that those acting as agents of cultural change must be cognizant of how a participatory culture will drive our future institutional missions. This paper offers two examples of how the implementation of strategic social media programs can drive online cultural exchange and create new connections with diverse communities. It presents a convergence of initiatives undertaken within the sector over the past five years while offering a frame through which to view future innovations. Based on research undertaken with multiple organizations, it recognizes that the time is right to merge existing innovations with strategically developed communication programs to achieve a demonstrable, verifiable basis for the value of our museums.