Museums and Digital Culture: A Book Review on the COVID-19 Crisis

Maria Elena Colombo's book "Musei e cultura digitale" (Editrice Bibliografica, 2020) examines how Italian museums responded to the COVID-19 lockdown by rapidly shifting to digital platforms. Colombo argues that the crisis proved the irrelevance of the online/physical dichotomy, as museums functioned as a single ecosystem. She highlights examples: Christian Greco at the Museo Egizio di Torino offered video walks; Pinacoteca di Brera launched hashtags like #myBrera; Muse di Trento taught coding via Facebook; Museo della Scienza di Milano used #storieaportechiuse; Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev initiated Cosmo Digitale at Castello di Rivoli. However, Colombo warns that digital engagement requires competence and resources, and many institutions struggled with hastily produced content. Virtual tours, such as those by Pinacoteca di Brera and the Egizio's "Archeologia Invisibile," are noted, with many relying on Google Arts and Culture (e.g., Galleria degli Uffizi). She criticizes Italy's uneven internet infrastructure and calls for government investment in 5G. The crisis reaffirmed that museums are community-serving institutions, with social messages like #iorestoacasa spreading. Colombo also addresses sustainability: museums without public funding face financial peril, and she suggests digital tools like crowdfunding and online shops (e.g., Museo Egizio's shop) as support mechanisms.