Presenter Information
Alex Warren, History Department
Abstract
243.6 million people use social media in the United States alone: that is roughly ¾ of the population.[1] This massive audience gives the perception that, especially for smaller public history organizations, it is a simple and effective tool to reach their audiences. But this may not be the case. Although social media provides an opportunity to put forth information to a wide public audience in a way that would otherwise be near impossible for many non-profit organizations, the reality of a successful social media presence provides potentially catastrophic results for an unprepared organization.
Effective social media use requires consideration of the expectations of both audiences and public historians. Not every platform can provide the audiences that would provide the best target for material and not every platform will provide an outlet for the type of material that is being considered. The reality of social media poses a complication to the disillusioned ideas on social media effectiveness and applicability to all public history institutions.
Beyond disillusionment, social media has often been considered a free and effective tool to reach new customers and to engage with the public; however, social media is only useful when approached with a clear branding and marketing that is not always easy to effectively accomplish with limited resources. The haphazard use of social media by public history institutions has provided ineffective communication with their target markets. Although there is an expectation that every institution utilizes social media, a minimalistic or non-participatory approach more effective than unprepared postings. Research and consideration with the institution’s mission will best provide an understanding as to how to effectively utilize the free advertising and connections with the public that are embedded in social media.
[1] J Clement, “U.S. Number of Social Media Users 2017 to 2023,” Statista, accessed December 1, 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/278409/number-of-social-network-users-in-the-united-states/).
School
McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts
Advisor
Dr. Stephanie Gray
Submission Type
Poster
Included in
A Partial Presence is No Presence: Public History Institutions and the Danger of Social Media
243.6 million people use social media in the United States alone: that is roughly ¾ of the population.[1] This massive audience gives the perception that, especially for smaller public history organizations, it is a simple and effective tool to reach their audiences. But this may not be the case. Although social media provides an opportunity to put forth information to a wide public audience in a way that would otherwise be near impossible for many non-profit organizations, the reality of a successful social media presence provides potentially catastrophic results for an unprepared organization.
Effective social media use requires consideration of the expectations of both audiences and public historians. Not every platform can provide the audiences that would provide the best target for material and not every platform will provide an outlet for the type of material that is being considered. The reality of social media poses a complication to the disillusioned ideas on social media effectiveness and applicability to all public history institutions.
Beyond disillusionment, social media has often been considered a free and effective tool to reach new customers and to engage with the public; however, social media is only useful when approached with a clear branding and marketing that is not always easy to effectively accomplish with limited resources. The haphazard use of social media by public history institutions has provided ineffective communication with their target markets. Although there is an expectation that every institution utilizes social media, a minimalistic or non-participatory approach more effective than unprepared postings. Research and consideration with the institution’s mission will best provide an understanding as to how to effectively utilize the free advertising and connections with the public that are embedded in social media.
[1] J Clement, “U.S. Number of Social Media Users 2017 to 2023,” Statista, accessed December 1, 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/278409/number-of-social-network-users-in-the-united-states/).