TIC Culture 2020 identifies lack of preparedness of sector institutions in migrating activities to the digital environment

CGI.br Survey indicates growth in the presence and activities of museums on social networks

Due to the social distancing measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cultural sector, like other segments, was forced to migrate its activities to the digital environment. However, a large part of Brazilian institutions operating in the area was not prepared for this change. This is revealed by the 3rd edition of the TIC Culture, a survey by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) conducted between February and August 2020 by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br).

The survey, which interviewed 2,193 people responsible for archives, heritage sites, libraries, cinemas, museums, culture points, and theaters, found that these facilities used the Internet more to attract in-person audiences than to offer remote goods and services.

According to the study, the resources available on the facilities' websites were mainly geared towards the publication of institutional information (such as address, contact, and operating hours), programming, and news about cultural spaces. Meanwhile, Internet activities — such as virtual tours or live video streaming — were less offered by all types of cultural facilities, although there was an increase in the latter during the analyzed period, especially among archives (23%), theaters (18%), and museums (9%). On social networks, announcements about programming and postings of photos of activities carried out were widely disseminated among all types of cultural facilities investigated, with the sharing of video or audio recordings being somewhat less common.

In offering remote services, the conduct of workshops or distance learning activities was also incipient, reaching just over a fifth of archives (23%) and cultural points (21%) in 2020, with even lower proportions among other types of cultural facilities. Only cinemas stood out in terms of selling products or services online (58%), but even among them, online ticket sales or reservations did not reach a third of the institutions (31%). 

"The emergency adaptation of cultural facilities to offer goods and services over the Internet was a challenge faced by many cultural institutions in the country during a period marked by social distancing," states Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br. 

Even though the indicators were not constructed to assess the impacts of the pandemic, the survey results allow for identifying the extent of access, use, and appropriation of ICTs in Brazilian cultural facilities during the period. "The survey was planned at the beginning of 2020, and data collection began in February, therefore before the health crisis erupted in the country. Although it was not aimed at capturing the effects of the pandemic, the study presents very relevant results in this context, diagnosing the preparedness these institutions had to adapt to this new scenario," Barbosa adds. 

Training for the use of technologies
The third edition of TIC Culture introduced unprecedented indicators related to the training of cultural managers. The survey showed that most of the responsible parties at the institutions surveyed had completed graduate studies or higher education. Despite the high level of education, a large part did not have specific training in cultural management and related to the use of technologies in the field.

Approximately half of the managers of cultural points (55%), theaters (50%), and museums (47%) reported having specific training in cultural management. The percentage decreased significantly when the focus shifted to training in technology use in the sector: less than a third of those responsible for various types of cultural facilities stated they had this type of training, with a slightly higher proportion only among cultural points (41%).

Similarly, the training of teams to develop or improve computer and Internet skills was also low: the provision of internal training reached little more than a third of archives (35%) and cinemas (37%), and the payment of external courses about a fifth of them (22% and 19%, respectively), being even less common among other types of cultural facilities.

Among the most frequently mentioned challenges by institution managers for ICT use were the lack of financial resources for technology investment and the insufficient training of staff in computer and Internet use. These are barriers to consider for offering goods and services and developing activities in the digital environment, demands amplified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Technological infrastructure and connectivity
The study also revealed weaknesses related to ICT access in cultural institutions, highlighting the need for investments in technological infrastructure and connectivity. The proportion of those who did not use a computer and the Internet in the 12 months prior to the survey was higher among heritage sites, libraries, and museums. In 2020, about a quarter of libraries (25%) and museums (23%) and two-fifths of heritage sites (40%) did not use the network.

The lack of access infrastructure in the region was mentioned by 15% of library managers and 11% of heritage site and museum managers as reasons for the issue. Meanwhile, the high cost of connection was noted by 14% of heritage site managers, 10% of museum managers, and 9% of library managers.

The availability of computers and the Internet for public use stood out among archives, libraries, and cultural points: about half of these institutions had infrastructure that enabled public access to digital technologies. Although public attendance was compromised due to the closure of institutions in a pandemic scenario, this is a revealing dimension of the role of cultural facilities in digital inclusion for segments of the population, which becomes even more relevant with the intensification of ICT use in various dimensions of life — not just cultural, but also educational and professional, access to information and public services. 

Museums online
In line with international studies, the survey observed a relevant change in the use of the Internet by museums: the expansion of their presence on social networks. This presence reached 56% of the institutions (compared to 48% in 2018), reflecting greater proportions presented in all public engagement activities on these platforms, such as the dissemination of collections, projects, or services (49%).

The creation and dissemination of digital collections, however, remain challenges for Brazilian cultural institutions. Although digitalization of part of the materials was carried out by a good portion of museums (68%), this did not necessarily correspond to making the collection available in digital format to the public (38%), and even less commonly available on the Internet (25%). Public access to these materials took place mainly at the institution itself (30%), and not remotely through digital means, such as platforms or social networks (15%), the institution's website (13%), or digital collection repositories (12%). 

The 3rd edition of the TIC Culture was released this Thursday (17th), during the Webinar "Pandemic and Digitalization of Culture: Institutions and Publics on the Internet," promoted by Cetic.br|NIC.br, which also featured the launch of the survey book.

The survey aimed to map the infrastructure, use, and appropriation of ICT in Brazilian cultural facilities. Data collection was conducted between February and August 2020 through computer-assisted telephone interviews.

To access the full list of indicators, visit: https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/cultura/indicadores/, or read the publication at: https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/cultura/publicacoes/. To watch the launch event again, visit: https://youtube.com/watch?v=h2b6NSsIKk8. 

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information on network development in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Center for Studies, under the auspices of UNESCO. More information at https://cetic.br/. 

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a civil, non-profit private entity that, in addition to implementing the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, has among its responsibilities: coordinating the registration of domain names — Registro.br (https://registro.br/), studying, responding to, and managing security incidents in Brazil — CERT.br (https://cert.br/), studying and researching network technologies and operations — Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), producing indicators on information and communication technologies — Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), implementing and operating Internet Exchange Points — IX.br (https://ix.br/), enabling the participation of the Brazilian community in the global development of the Web, and supporting the formulation of public policies — Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br), and hosting the W3C Chapter São Paulo (https://w3c.br/). 

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of the services offered. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, internationally praised, in which all sectors of society participate equitably in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/principios). More information at https://cgi.br/. 

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