Digital divide in the cultural sector requires an adaptive ecosystem

Digitalisation is here to stay

Fortunately, museums, performance venues and monuments were able to open their doors again. The public craves live culture, but let’s not forget the groundbreaking digital productions that were created during lockdown. And I am not talking about Minister de Jonge’s comments about how “you don’t need to go the theatre, you can always just put on a DVD”, but about performances that outdid the theatre and concert hall experience precisely because they were in digital form. I am thinking of performances such as Shadow’s Whispers (Opens an external link), a live stream by the Nederlands Dans Theater. In a choreography by Hofesh Shechter, the camera was operated by a former dancer who was able to fit in seamlessly with the dancers. The live recording from the stage lifted the experience in my living room to a whole new level.

Digitalisation in the cultural and creative sector is here to stay. It is more than just a stopgap solution during lockdown. I think that being able to offer your audience online content has become at least as relevant as offering performances on location. The current Gen Z, the cultural audience of the future, does not differentiate between the digital and physical worlds. In various ways, they feel at home in both domains. This is why we encourage cultural organisations to offer both offline and online events and performances, in accordance with hybrid working practices.

As director of DEN, the national knowledge institute for cultural and digital transformation, I see worrying discrepancies in the digital skills of cultural organisations and makers. Large organisations with budgets and teams to match are able to develop groundbreaking productions. This has spoiled the public to such an extent that it has become impossible for the medium-sized and smaller players to keep up, which is creating a digital divide between cultural providers.

How do we create a level playing field?

Although the cultural and creative sector is becoming increasingly aware of the necessity and opportunities of digitalisation, an overall, long-term approach is still missing. Anyone who develops digital content in addition to live performances needs to take it a step further. You need to recognise that the audience of the future will have different demands. This is the only way to ensure that culture remains socially relevant.

This is why I call on cultural providers to change their reactive approach into a more proactive one. This would be impossible without a new paradigm. Let me make clear straight away that the purchase of technology is just a minor part of the digital transformation process (max. 20%). The customer perspective is much more important. So instead of thinking in terms of adjustments, we need to think more in terms of a permanent transformation: from an incidental cultural expression bound by time and place to a long-lasting relationship with your audience.”

Collaboration, both within and outside the cultural and creative sector, is just as important for this transformation. Avoid the situation where everyone is trying to reinvent the wheel. That only leads to a dilution of resources and a scattered audience. DEN is committed to bringing larger and smaller organisations together. In the meantime, I notice that a lot of organisations are developing their own platforms and that is a real shame. Joining forces should be the starting principle and I also see a crucial role for policymakers and funds.

What remains of this ‘digital win’ since cultural organisations have reopened their doors? It may seem strange to find anything positive to say about the pandemic but in this regard I think we can. It was a rude awakening. We now see the need to innovate and recognise the important role that digitalisation plays in audience reach, inclusion and experience. This game-changing opportunity could slip through our fingers if an ecosystem focused on innovation does not become a permanent part of local and national cultural policy. For a long-term approach, we must also be able to count on a strong impetus for innovation from the Nationaal Groeifonds (National Growth Fund) and support from the European Recovery and Resilience Fund.

It is with great pride that I look back on DEN’s Digital Transformation Conference 2021. My team and I invited several (international) pioneers to discuss the agenda for digital transformation together with other participants in the field. Remarkably, the sector still sees more obstacles than opportunities. This is why DEN advocates shared services, digital leadership and an ecosystem that adapts to innovation, including the process of trial and error.

Hybrid is not a magic word but I do think it is the key word in this respect. Hybrid is a great way for cultural organisations and makers, regardless of size or capacity, to serve the audience of the future. If you want to offer high quality digital content in addition to live culture, it is paramount that you invest in an adaptive ecosystem. The future is here to stay.