ICT and cultural participation (2007)

The crossroads of culture and ICT is sometimes called e-culture.

The term refers to the use of ICT for the creation, conservation, distribution, presentation, promotion, and perception of culture. It is a field that allows lots of new applications. As a matter of fact, digital cultural content can easily cross the boarders of cultural sub-sectors and be connected into new meaningful forms. This study focuses on the role ICT can play in promoting cultural participation.

The central research topics in this outline survey are:

• Creative examples, both national and international, of the use of ICT as an instrument to increase, to deepen, and to innovate cultural participation? What are the possibilities, in this context, of new media for the arts?
  
• What is the view and the attitude of the Flemish cultural institutions (libraries, arts centres, museums, ...) with regard to e-culture, and what are their expectations, given their mission and individuality?
  
• What thresholds do the Flemish cultural institutions experience and how do the above-mentioned examples (question nr. 1) show ways of dealing with these thresholds?

The questions are answered on the basis of a literature search and an analysis of selected cases and interviews.