Museum as Object: From Postcard to Post

Abstract

Whether it’s through sharing picture postcards or visitor-produced photographs of museums on social media, these processes of image sharing, often dismissed as trivial, are acts which create and sustain relationships between the visitor, museum, and a wider audience. This paper positions picture souvenirs as significant, performative media, and understands postcards and Instagram posts as social, objective and subjective mediums which reflect museum values and visitor decision-making. Using the British Museum as a case study, this paper analyses postcards and Instagram posts within their networks of production, use, and distribution. Visitor messages are analysed alongside imagery, and grounded theory is used to offer an interpretive understanding of decision making and inherent meaning potential. This approach responds to Haldrup and Larsen’s (2010) call for greater emphasis on ‘photographing’ in studies of tourist media and contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of photography in museum visitor experiences. Photography of the museum transforms 3D spaces into 2D objects, miniaturising the institution, making it mobile, and readying the museum for ‘new’, social uses and research indicates that whilst the aims of photography differs between museum, commercial publisher, and visitor, the decisions which underpin production are consistent. Through use, a connection is fostered between museum and person, and institutional and personal messages are read congruently. This connection is heightened online with photographs shared in ‘real-time’ alongside narratives which more closely reflect lived experiences. These photo-sharing practices enrich the visitor experience, allow visitors to ‘own’ the museum, and facilitate and support social interaction.

Keywords

• Instagram
• Museums
• Postcards
• Tourism
• Visual Culture

Ethical Statement

As part of the PhD study of Charlotte Simpson at the University of Nottingham, the study has the Faculty of Engineering Ethics Committee approval.

Nesne Olarak Müze: Kartpostaldan Paylaşıma

Abstract

İster kartpostal paylaşımıyla ister ziyaretçilerin müzelerde çektikleri fotoğrafları sosyal medyada paylaşmasıyla olsun, bu görsel paylaşım süreçleri genellikle önemsiz olarak değerlendirilse de, ziyaretçi, müze ve daha geniş bir kitle arasında ilişkiler kuran ve sürdüren önemli eylemler olarak görülmelidir. Bu makale, kartpostalları ve Instagram paylaşımlarını, müze değerlerini ve ziyaretçi tercihlerini yansıtan, karşılaştırılabilir sosyal, nesnel ve öznel araçlar olarak ele alarak, bu görselleri anlamlı, performatif bir medya biçimi olarak konumlandırmaktadır. British Museum’u bir vaka çalışması olarak ele alan bu makale, kartpostallar ve Instagram gönderilerini üretim, kullanım ve dağıtım bağlamlarında analiz eder. Ziyaretçi mesajları, görsellerle birlikte incelenir ve temellendirilmiş kuram yöntemi kullanılarak karar alma süreçleri ve bu görsellerin içerdiği anlam potansiyeli yorumlanır. Bu yaklaşım, Haldrup ve Larsen’in (2010) turistik medya çalışmalarında ‘fotoğraf çekme’ konusuna daha fazla odaklanılması gerektiğine dair çağrılarına yanıt verirken, fotoğrafçılığın müze ziyaretçi deneyimlerindeki rolüne dair daha derin bir anlayış sunar. Müzenin fotoğraflanması, üç boyutlu mekânları iki boyutlu nesnelere dönüştürerek müzeyi küçültür, taşınabilir hale getirir ve onu ‘yeni’, sosyal kullanımlar için hazırlar. Araştırmalar, fotoğrafçılığın amacı müze, ticari yayıncı ve ziyaretçi arasında farklılık gösterse de, üretimi yönlendiren kararların genellikle tutarlı olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu süreçte, ziyaretçi ile müze arasında bir bağ kurulur ve hem kurumsal hem de kişisel mesajlar bir bütünlük içinde okunur. Çevrimiçi paylaşımlarda, fotoğraflar ‘gerçek zamanlı’ olarak ziyaretçi deneyimlerini yansıtan anlatılarla birlikte paylaşılır ve bu bağ daha da güçlenir. Bu fotoğraf paylaşım pratikleri, ziyaretçi deneyimini zenginleştirir, ziyaretçilerin müzeyi ‘sahiplenmesini’ sağlar ve sosyal etkileşimleri destekleyip kolaylaştırır.

Keywords

• Instagram
• Müzeler
• Kartpostallar
• Turizm
• Görsel Kültür

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