ABSTRACT
The ‘contactless' culture established after COVID-19 and the development of metaverse technologies, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, blockchain and artificial intelligence, serve as vectors of change in museum tourism. Contactless behaviours have forced European museums to reconfigure and strengthen their digital communication and marketing strategies, mainly through social media and audiovisual content, to connect with their audience by virtual means only. This experience has laid the foundations for hybrid communication (physical and virtual) by museums and acted as a pilot experience for their activities in the metaverse of the future. The aim of this research is to analyse the online tourism communication strategies implemented by 20 European museums through Facebook (Meta) in times of COVID-19. The results show the effect of lockdown on patterns of consumption and interaction, and the impact of message content and format on user engagement and participation. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
ABSTRACT
In a society marked by the digital issue and the global pandemic by COVID-19, museums have experienced the need to join new social platforms where the youngest audiences are. This context has led to an intensification of the use of these channels, as well as a reconfiguration of communication strategies in the digital environment by museums. This research analyses how the Museo Nacional del Prado uses the TokTok platform within its brand strategy and studies its production of short video content, a characteristic format of this social network. To this end, a case study was conducted in which a structured interview with personnel from the museum's communication and social networks area was preformed, as well as a content analysis for which an ad hoc analytical guide was prepared. The results show that the narrative structure and the language used are always adapted to the public and the platform with rigour and respect, using an informal register with the aim of transmitting knowledge while still connecting more efficiently with the consumption pattern of the social network.