Recent research emphasizes the role of technology, like the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and virtual reality, in reshaping the museum industry. As technology brings a new opportunity to integrate the museum industry into the communication process, many general museums are actively exploring their future paths by utilizing digital interactive technologies.
This research study employs communication models and theories to examine how digital transformation impacts museum, exhibitions, and their audiences and shapes a new communication model of museum. Using the Forbidden City as a case, the researcher looks at how digital media practices, from digitization of collections and immersive digital experiences to social media interaction, are applied and how the Forbidden City uses digital channels to explore the new communication model from a technical perspective.
The result section of the case study indicates the new museum communication strategy in the digital context and the mutual interaction among the audience, museum, and data. The researcher also proposes a new “multi-interaction” communication model, which positions data as a bridge to enhance the interaction between the audience and the museum.
The research study addresses the two following aspects: How to choose a medium? Which model is the most effective in museum communication? With the intention to provide new ideas that transform a given museum into its digital variant, this research presentation creates a framework that releases digital from the constraints of the traditional communication model of museum.