Arianna on Museums and Social Media Technology

Huffingtonpost has an editorial,-"Museums 2.0: What Happens When Great Art Meets New Media?"--commenting on the use of Social Networking by museums.Most of her examples are art museums, rather than cultural/historical museums, but the same points would apply.  She notes that

At their best, social media build community and enhance communication. In the case of museums, they can provide access to a much wider audience, and can extend the museum visit by allowing a user to continue the aesthetic experience after leaving the museum.

but warns

if museums forget their DNA and get their heads turned by every new tech hottie that shimmies by they will undercut the point of their existence. Too much of the wrong kind of connection can actually disconnect us from an aesthetic experience. As Sontag summed it up: "contemplation... entails self-forgetfulness on the part of the spectator."

I suspect that technology will only add to the museum experience.  Those who enjoy museums and the contemplative aspect of viewing art or artifacts in a museum setting will not stop going because they have an app for a museum.  The technology will bring more people to the table--perhaps some of those people who don't share my enthusiasm for a traditional museum visit.