Platformed Patrimony: Analyzing the Digital Dance of Museums with Google Arts & Culture in Germany
This project explores the impact of digital platforms such as Google Arts & Culture on the German cultural sector. As digital platforms become increasingly indispensable to how we engage with culture online, this study investigates how cultural heritage institutions in Germany navigate the benefits and challenges of partnering with tech companies like Google. The project examines the reasons behind their decisions to join or avoid the platform, the effects on their digital strategies, and how the platform’s governance mechanisms influence their everyday practices. Using critical discourse analysis and in-depth interviews, the research aims to provide insights into the complex relationship between cultural heritage institutions and digital platforms, highlighting the tension between increased access to cultural content online and the potential loss of institutional autonomy. The findings will offer new perspectives for both academic discussions on digitization and platformization and for cultural institutions seeking to strengthen their own digital capabilities.
Main Research Interests
- museum studies
- media studies
- platform studies
- cultural policy
- digital humanities
Curriculum Vitae
- Guest Researcher & Lecturer | Leiden University
- PhD in Journalism and Media | University of Texas at Austin
- MA in Media Studies | University of Amsterdam
- MA in Arts and Culture | Leiden University
Publications and Presentations
- Cao, T. L. (2024). Rethinking openness: a social constructivist approach to the promises of the new museology. Internet Histories, 8(1-2), 114–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/24701475.2023.2244341.
- Cao, T. L. (2024, January). “Skulls, wings, and a sky”: AI gamification and institutional autonomy on Google Arts & Culture [Paper presentation]. The Art Museum in the Digital Age, Vienna, Austria.
- Cao, T. L. (under review). Reconstructing platform timeline: a story of convergence and divergence on Google Arts & Culture. Media, Culture & Society.
- Cao, T. L. (under review). Platform governance meets institutional practices: how cultural institutions use Google Arts & Culture. Platforms & Society.
- Cao, T. L. (under review). Situating digitization in cultural policy: public support and institutional needs in the United States. International Journal of Cultural Policy.