UK Museums Online: Digital Inequality, Engagement, and Algorithmic Mediations

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic saw rapid and wide-ranging changes to visitor behaviours and modes of engagement, with many museums' digital teams increasing their online output to meet a perceived increase in demand for content accessible from home. This thesis set out to explore the extent of such changes, charting the shift in digital engagement strategies over the past five years and the impact this has had on online audiences. In doing so, this research has created a benchmark for the sector that enables museums to make better informed decisions regarding their digital strategies. It represents the largest study of digital adoption in UK museums, pioneering new data collection techniques, and borrowing methods from computer science and the digital humanities to answer the following research questions:

• How did museums in the UK adapt to the perceived increased demand for online experiences resulting from the outbreak of Covid-19?

• (How) has museums' online offerings changed during the course of this research (2020–2025) and how was it received by audiences?

• What are the main obstacles, necessary resources, and parameters of success for museums publishing online?

• Looking to other fields, can the methods for evaluating online experiences be improved upon?

Adopting a range of methods – including statistical analysis, natural language processing, computer vision, network analysis, and interviews – the thesis provides a nuanced portrayal of UK museums online. The findings highlight the levels of digital inequality within the sector and the bias in existing literature towards larger and well-resourced organisations. In evaluating different methods of measuring engagement, it uncovered the role that ranking and recommendation algorithms play in the size and diversity of museums audiences, raising the question of whether public, charity, and cultural institutions are served well by privately owned platforms and third-party content management software.