Innovation, data and social responsibility

Abstract

The volume of user data generated in museums continues to increase rapidly. Data is collected from the visitor’s physical experience and the digital touchpoints of their experiences: web, social media, ticketing, and mobile apps, among others. This data allows museums to demonstrate their continued relevance in an increasingly digital society, and present new ways for museums to collect, tell stories and engage with visitors (Murphy 2019; 2016; French and Villaespesa 2019). However, the technologies used to collect and process this data and the societal changes they have created raise important ethical questions for museums.