How the pandemic changed the way we use social media

New research suggests social media could play a bigger role in supporting arts organisations to meet their ambitions for social impact, inclusivity and participation. The research, published by the Policy & Evidence Centre (PEC)* looked at the impact of the pandemic on the way cultural organisations use Twitter.

It finds that during the pandemic organisations moved beyond traditional metrics of likes, shares and number of followers to valuing a deeper connection with communities. There was a significant increase in ‘behind the scenes’ content, helping organisations to become more personable and approachable. 

The research Culture in Quarantine?: Cultural institutions’ uses of Twitter during lockdown analysed 9,000 tweets across the hashtags #CultureInQuarantine and #MuseumAtHome used between March-May 2020. 

The study carried out by Dr Jenny Kidd and Dr Eva Nieto McAvoy at Cardiff University analysed tweets from organisations including the Van Gogh Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, National Museums Scotland, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, and the Northern Ireland Memorial Museum. 

A pivot to purpose

It’s particularly valuable in that it goes beyond metrics to analyse the theme, tone and values expressed in twitter activity, enabling a much richer understanding of what sparked conversation and connection between organisations and audiences. 

A ‘pivot to purpose’ phenomenon was observed in the research, which has also been found in other studies such as Walmsley, B. et al. (2022). The suggestion being that the pandemic led to an increased civic mindedness, with digital teams at the forefront of connecting the sector more prominently with reform, change and social justice.  

Previous studies, including McGrath’s 2020 Museums and Social Media During Covid-19 pointed to a tonal shift away from the didactic and hyperbolic tendency of press releases to the use of social media as a place of ‘dialogue and curation’ – a finding reinforced by this study. 

An unexpected benevolence

Dr Kidd says: “We clearly see a change in how arts organisations positioned themselves in relation to their communities during this intensely challenging period. There was an attempt to offer comfort and connection as best as they could digitally while their doors were closed. 

“A kind of benevolence is apparent across the sample. A desire to be helpful, thoughtful and compassionate in posts; to be public-spirited and of the community. The focus was on building connections and communities. There is evidence that the lockdown closures changed how institutions measured the value of their social media engagement.”

Place and connection with the local community is a theme which appears strongly in the study. Even within the context of a global phenomenon, engagement on Twitter was much higher around localised action, events and campaigns. 

Although not as prevalent, references to nature were also noted in the dataset. There was a recurrent collocation of culture, art, well-being and the natural environment in the sample. 

Huge endorsement of the work of digital arts marketers

Dr Nieto McAvoy says: “Through use of hashtags, for example, we see organisations engaging in local contexts frequently with locality and community more important than ever. This research tells a story about the kind of content and interaction users found valuable and begins to unpack how we can understand and articulate the value arts organisations can provide during a time of crisis. 

“Using social media to cultivate connections and support communities is a skill, and one that is often taken for granted or unrecognised. These findings are a great endorsement of the work of arts marketers responsible for digital engagement during the pandemic.” 

Cath Hume, CEO of the Arts Marketing Association, commented: “Good marketing puts audiences at its heart. Ensuring that focus is kept on your audience is at the core of all good arts organisations. 

“That's how you make a real contribution to and impact in your communities.  Marketing communication has a much more strategic place in organisations than just transactional exchanges, and this really speaks to the difference it can make in impact, inclusivity and engagement."

Media generate higher engagement 

Of note to those working in digital marketing is the finding that video content had the highest probability of all media types of generating engagement, this was followed by tweets with animated gifs. 

It was noticeable that tweets featuring photographic content fared less well but still had a higher traction than tweets which didn’t include any media. 

Visible spikes were noted in Twitter activity on 30 April 2020, explained in part by the BBC Arts Museum from Home initiative. A similar spike was noted on 27 March 2020 corresponding with the #GettyMuseumChallenge; a call via the Getty Museum for members of the public to re-create works from their collection using everyday items from home, and to post them online. The challenge proved to be hugely popular and enduring and is one of the digital culture success stories of the pandemic. 

In summary the research points to the increasing role social media can play in enabling arts organisations to be more open, inclusive and ‘of their community’ and this seems a development worth nurturing, investing in and understanding further. 

Alice Kent is Communications Manager at the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre. 

 @CreativePEC | @ahrcpress

*The Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre is led by Nesta and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy.