One of the primary and ongoing challenges has been moderation. Museums can respond
to hate messages or inaccurate information, but the question arises: should they always
do so? These powerful tools provide institutions with a voice and enable them
to participate in the dialogue. Followers perceive these platforms as an extension
of museums' online activities. Social media has significantly reduced the time and distance between the museum and its audience. Nowadays, it is much faster than issuing a press release, for example. If necessary, it is possible to engage immediately.
I remember once I posted a Tweet with a photograph of a Czech Jewish boy who had been murdered in Auschwitz. His name was Jiří Popper. I uploaded the photograph with a brief biography, and for me, it was one of many similar faces in our collections on our social media. Someone then noticed that this boy had a small pin from Real Sociedad,
the football club from Spain. The question was, why did this Czech Jewish boy in 1920s Prague have a pin from a Spanish football club? A discussion started on social media. Sports journalists became interested, Real Sociedad, the football club, got interested,
and people started researching. There was a German Jewish football club in Prague
in the 1920s, and they went to play Real Sociedad in Spain. Then, there was a rematch,
and most likely, someone had purchased the pin and given it to the boy. We will never know. After this discussion on social media, a Spanish sports magazine, Marca, published
a long article about this. To think that there would be a significant article on Auschwitz
in Marca in Spain is a remarkable thing! When we talk about social media, the social aspect is extremely important. - Paweł Sawicki
Beyond doubts and uncertainties, these institutions recognized the potential
of the platforms in supporting their educational missions. Yad Vashem is using these tools directly by creating content on platforms as well as indirectly by trying to influence influencers. The institution does not have an official TikTok account but invite TikTokers from Israel and abroad to their seminars. They also have connections with influencers
from the ultra-religious communities in Israel, where women are agents of change
with broad audiences. Having a precisely chosen mediator figure can have a significant impact on inspiring and conveying an intended message because the audience will be more receptive if they identify with this person and respect their thoughts and actions.
The risk with such a strategy is that complete control over what will be published is lost, which could result in historical inaccuracy or distortion. It is not possible to influence
the personal interpretation of the knowledge they are trying to convey, but by choosing this path, there is also the inability to dictate what people can or cannot say. When incorrect information is shared, when is the right time to intervene? To what extent can
it be corrected? Institutions aim to provide accurate data and sometimes react, but,
for example, when Yad Vashem reacts, it attracts a lot of attention to the post.
So, the question remains: should they react or not?
When Alison joined the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, their marketing
and communications office was already working on social media, but the digital team
in the education department also had an interest in using these platforms. They formed
a partnership, which was challenging at times due to overlapping work, but
the departments immediately cooperated to address the issues they were facing. There was a realization that the institution was not using these platforms in the same way
as their audiences.
Alison's team decided to explore the following questions for each platform: Who are our audiences? What do they expect? What does this platform allow us to do? How can we make the most of it so that it aligns with our educational mission? Simply using
the platforms without considering the answers to these questions is not a proper solution and may not make them very useful tools.