9/5/2021 The use of mobile phones in museums: pros and cons - News - Barco

exhibition. The immersive

digital art installations by


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ARTECHOUSE for example, just

ask for selfies and pictures to
be taken.

In addition, social media can

also be an important
promotion tool for museums.
With people from all over the
world active on Facebook
and/or Twitter, giving their opinions on the products they buy, rating the books
they read and movies they watch, or writing about all kinds of experiences they
want to share; social media is a way of reaching out to new audiences. It’s like
word-of-mouth advertising, but with one simple click you can potentially reach
more than hundreds of other social media users.

Read more about the power of social media for museums in our ebook.

Extra experience
But there are many more ways museums can explore the use of mobile phones
in their venues. Augmented reality, for instance. AR allows museums to add
content about objects in the exhibition and humanize the stories of the
collection. It shifts the way people look at objects, engaging them into the
background story.

And iBeacon technology is another option. You can offer personalized

information on a specific artifact based on the visitor’s location in the museum,
or organize scavenger hunts similar to the extremely popular Pokémon Go. It’s
the perfect mix of physical and digital using something people have ready in
their pockets.

Looking at the future, phones will become increasingly important in museums

as interactivity tools. And especially important in the current situation: it’s
covidproof.

Also check our previous post about phones as safe BYOD alternatives.

Diversified audience?
However, there’s one important side note to keep in mind. Although we started
this post with the dazzling amount of people that do own a mobile device,
there are still also visitors that don’t have access to a smart phone supporting
apps and AR features. Make sure to provide alternatives that allow you to
always include your entire audience of visitors in the interactivity of your
experience.

Conclusion
The use of mobile phones has often been looked down upon by museum
purists, but over the last few years this has started to change. When people
look at their phones, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not interested in the
collection. On the contrary, they might be looking up extra information on the
work of art they just saw or sending a picture to their friends telling what an
amazing experience they’re having. Museum curators and exhibition organizers
start to recognize the advantages these mobile devices can bring to their venue
in terms of promotion, communication and engaging experiences.

Our panel

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