Interactive communication using social media : the case of museums in Southern Poland

Drawing on the concept of an audience-oriented museum, this article presents research exploring how museums and audiences interactively seek and react to each other while developing a dialog using social media (SM) features. The empirical research was based on the content analysis of messages posted on SM profiles of museums located in Małopolska (Southern Poland). The investigated sample considers 71 institutions running proprietary SM sites (of a total 119 museums in the region), whose activity was observed during a two-month period. The findings identify differences in the use of interactive components. Observed discrepancies relate to distinct framings, contexts, and cohesiveness of implemented actions. The content analysis highlights the importance of context-bound interactions between museums and audiences that affect the overall communication process. Museums should engage audiences not only to join but also to frame the interaction through SM.