Interactive communication using social media – the case of museums in Southern Poland

ABSTRACT

Drawing on the concept of an audience-oriented museum, this article presents research exploring how museums and audiences interactively seek and react to each other while developing a dialog using social media (SM) features. The empirical research was based on the content analysis of messages posted on SM profiles of museums located in Małopolska (Southern Poland). The investigated sample considers 71 institutions running proprietary SM sites (of a total 119 museums in the region), whose activity was observed during a two-month period. The findings identify differences in the use of interactive components. Observed discrepancies relate to distinct framings, contexts, and cohesiveness of implemented actions. The content analysis highlights the importance of context-bound interactions between museums and audiences that affect the overall communication process. Museums should engage audiences not only to join but also to frame the interaction through SM.

KEYWORDS:

• Social media
• communication
• interactivity
• museum
• relations
• audience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This article is a result of the research project ‘A multi-stakeholder approach to the value co-creation process in museums’ registered by the Jagiellonian University under the number N21/MNS/000014; [Krajowy Naukowy Osrodek Wiodacy].

Notes on contributors

Marta Najda-Janoszka

Marta Najda-Janoszka is Associate Professor (Ph.D., Habilitation) of Strategic Management at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Her research is focused on the intersection of strategic management and entrepreneurship, with the competitive dynamics of business ecosystems being the most studied domain. She is a member of several professional bodies and acted as an Author, Guest Editor, Reviewer and Track Chair in academic journals and conferences.

Magdalena Sawczuk

Magdalena Sawczuk is a PhD fellow at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. She holds an MA in tourism management. Her master thesis focused on strategic management practices in museums. Her research interests pertain to the audience development strategies of museums as well as to the broad issue of managing change in museum, including the redefinition of their social role in local communities.