Abstract
This paper was adapted from the author’s PhD dissertation named “The Effects of Digitalization on Contemporary Art Museums and Galleries”. The digital age has started with the digitalization of information and information communication. The digitalization processes that accelerated with the rapid developments in information and communication technologies have deeply affected museums. Museums are information-based organizations, their primary functions are to protect and spread information. Digitalized information and information communication have obligated contemporary art museums to follow digitalization processes. In this process, technological convergence is another factor that accelerates digitalization of contemporary art museums. ICOM has defined a contemporary museum as a polyphonic platform including participatory, inclusive and democratizing elements. When all these concepts are considered, the importance of communication between museum-community becomes apparent. Today, contemporary art museums have taken communication to their focal points. Museum-society communication is experienced in contemporary art museums through artistic activities as well as institution's communication-oriented strategies. Contemporary art activities using digital technologies and multimedia technologies generally require audience participation. Global access and various digital platforms provide the society with equal access to museums and art events, as well as making the arts of various countries and identities more visible. In the field of education, contemporary art museums develop projects by cooperating with various institutions. The effective use of digital platforms and institutional pages serves as a catalyst in the realization of these roles that museums undertake. Innovations in information and communication technologies accelerate the digitalization processes and serve as a mediator in maintaining the social roles of museums. For example, it can be said that technological convergence increases the number of museum visitors, therefore, it is the mediator of the social roles of museums. Technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, which are used in exhibition design in museums, require audience interaction. Digital art based on digital technology takes its place in contemporary art museums. In this study, it was aimed to reveal that social roles undertaken by contemporary art museums, such as participatory, inclusive, democratizing and polyphonic roles, are closely related to the digitalization of institutions and that digitalization acts as a catalyst for these roles.