Digitalization of museums as a socio-cultural phenomenon

Abstract

The paper considers the process of digitalization of Russian museums as an important project of state. The author reviews and analyses the approaches to the definition of the term digitalization in Russian sociology and studies the measure of influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rate of digitalization of museums based on the interim results of the national project “Culture” dedicated to digitalization of the infrastructure of the cultural sphere. Within this study the author shows the experience of the digitalization process on the example of domestic museums and as successfully implemented examples that contributed to the improvement of the digital communication process, analyzes the processes of digitizing museum expositions, introducing virtual reality mechanisms, audio guides (their analogues in the form of QR codes), and online events. Based on these technologies, the author comes to conclusion (1) about the multifaceted activities of museums, which cease to be just a place to store exhibits of historical and cultural value, and (2) that modern social demands make the issue of digitalization of museums relevant in the context of communication interaction in society. Russia has successful examples of implemented cases of digital museums, but a further continuation of this work is required, since many museums have partially implemented digitalization.