New Media TrendsWhat’s happening in U.S. museums in 2016

A little context

I work at PEM

PEM looks like this…

and like this…

Four digital trends American museums face in 2016• New video formats (360º,

3D)

• indoor navigation and location-based services

• grassroots initiatives “making the future you want to live in”

• social media and connecting museum staff to online communities

New video formatsThe brave new world of 360º and 3D video

360º video: Not quite ready, but very exciting

The good news: You don’t need a ton of equipment.

The good news: Platforms are pushing it – hard.

The bad news: It’s not professional quality yet.

More bad news: It’s not yet supported in all browsersChrome Safari

The results:Hopefully you’ll see something when you click on the video

3D (VR) Video – almost there…

Still 5-10 years from mainstream adoption

Indoor navigationGiving people what they want, based on where they are

The Holy GrailYour phone is able to provide you with content relevant to where you are in the museum, without you telling it, or punching in a number, or scanning a QR code, or…

An early winThe Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)

Hobart, Australia, 2011

Universal distribution + brute force Wifi

This year’s success storySan Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) & Detour

San Francisco, USA

A huge critical success

The recipe for success?• Unusual content

• Choice of content

• Up-to-date content

• An indoor map that really works

Grassroots initiativesOr “making the future you want to live in”

The power of the #hashtagThe modern Internet gives individuals great ability to make their voices heard in ways that were impossible in the last century.

The “signal boost” that can happen when like-minded individuals share content and spread it through their personal networks can cause ideas to spread rapidly.

The # sign has become an important part of everyday life.

Examples of hashtag campaignsSocial issues:

#svegliamuseo – “Wake up, museums!” Campaign to shame Italian museums into paying more attention to digital

#DropBP – Campaign to get the British Museum to drop British Petroleum as a sponsor

#MuseumWorkersSpeak – Campaign to highlight and change unfair labor practices in museums.

#museumsrespondtoferguson – Campaign to mobilize American museums against violence against African-Americans.

Awareness raising:

#askacurator

#empty___ (#emptymet, #emptymfa, etc…)

#InstaSwap (London, NYC, LA, etc…)

#historichousecrush

The renaissance of podcasts and blogsPodcasts Blogs

Why the renewed interest?PodcastsIntimate,

Conversational,

Longform,

Immersive,

Personality-driven(what radio used to be)

BlogsPersonal,

Informal,

Longform

What do they have in common?• They have low startup costs

• They’re easy to launch as low-risk “experiments”

• They give voice to a variety of staff, not just curators and executives.

• Their success is easy to quantify (downloads and pageviews)

An example: CODE | WORDS

What was the rationale?A peer-organized response to a perceived lack of informed discourse around issues of theory and digital technologies within the museum space.

How it worked

Rob Stein me Suse Cairns

+ +

Museum professionals PhD student

We talked a lot about wanting to affect change

We talked more, with peers all over the world

We organized a group around ideas• Making the value statement for museums in a digital age - How can museums

measure what’s important and not just what’s easy?

• Digital curation - What does it mean to collect and preserve digital media, art, and information?

• The politics of new technologies - New takes on power, audience, and authority.

• Dialogue and discourse in museums - Who’s talking and who’s listening?

• Creativity, innovation, and technology - Is there a relationship between the three that’s unique to museums?

• Eschewing both techno-fetishism and techno-fandom. - Technology can’t solve all the problems in the world, or the museum.

Used free tools to spread the word

What did it generate?• A collection of essays on Medium (a free-to-use publishing platform)

https://medium.com/code-words-technology-and-theory-in-the-museum

• >50,000 views to date

• Several conference presentations and collaborations

• And a book!

And it goes on…CODE | WORDS v2.0

Social media & staffConnecting museums to online audiences through people

Staff contributers to the PEM blogAmy Curtis

Annie Lundsten

Austen Barron Bailly

Barbara Pero Kampas

Becky Vitale

Caitlin Lowrie

Carla Galfano

Caryn M. Boehm

Catherine Robertson

Chip Van Dyke

Claire Blechman

Craig Tuminaro

Dan Finamore

Dave O'Ryan

David Thibodeau

Delia Faria

Dinah Cardin

Doneeca Thurston

Ed Rodley

Edie Shimel

Ellen Soares

Elliot Isen

Emily Fry

Eric Wolin

Gail Spilsbury

Gavin Andrews

Gordon Wilkins

Guest Contributor

Janet Blyberg

Janey Winchell

Jay Finney

Jim Olson

Juliette Fritsch

Karen Kramer

Kathy Fredrickson

Katie Theodoros

Kerry Schneider

Kurt Weidman

Leanne Schild

Linnea DiPillo

Lisa Incatasciato

Lisa Kosan

Lucille Wymer

Lynda Hartigan

Lynne Francis-Lunn

Maddie Kropa

Martine Malengret-Bardosh

Matthew Del Grosso

Meg Winikates

Melissa Woods

Michelle Moon

Mimi Leveque

Nicole Polletta

Paula Richter

Penny Bigmore

Rebecca Bednarz

Sarah Jennette

Shoshana Resnikoff

Sidney Berger

Siri Schoonderbeek

Sona Datta

Susan Flynn

Susanna Brougham

Victoria Glazomitsky

Walter Silver

Whitney Van Dyke

The goal: digital literacyWorking in digital spaces – Social media platforms, Wikipedia, Google Art Project

Professional development – Vital for staff to understand enough about the digital realm to make informed decisions

Cultural transformation – Incorporating digital in existing processes rather than developing separate ones.

Staff empowerment – Opportunity for staff to demonstrate digital skills they have

What does a 21st century curator look like?

They expose the inner workings of the museum, through their own unique lens

The goal? 100% participation• All the curators establish social media presences

• Move on to executive leadership

• Continue to encourage all staff to participate as they see fit. This is not a mandate, but a request.

Questions?

Thanks! Ed Rodley Peabody Essex Museum (www.pem.org) Tel: +1 978 542-1849 Email: ed_rodley@pem.org Social Media: @erodley