Participatory Communication with Social Media

Abstract Major museums worldwide are starting to use social media such as blogs, podcasts and content shares to engage users via participatory communication.1 This marks a shift in how museums publicly communicate their role as custodians of cultural content and so presents debate around an institution’s attitude towards cultural authority. It also signifies a new possible direction for museum learning. This article reports on a range of initiatives that demonstrate how participatory com-munication via social media can be integrated into museum practices. It argues that the social media space presents an ideal opportunity for museums to build online communities of interest around authentic cultural information, and concludes with some recent findings on and recommendations for social media implementation. Towards Participatory Communication Museums are increasingly open to cultural diversity, local knowledge, and popular memory. Social constructivist approaches to communication have helped museums to connect with the memories, identities, and understandings that visitors bring with them (Hein 1998; Watkins and Mortimore 1999). The same approaches have enabled the deconstruction of grand narratives and have affirmed the role of audiences in social learning. These debates have tapped a form of community intelligence and have create