Twitter was the most popular social media platform for London museums between 2021 and 2022, finds survey
Twitter was the most popular social media platform for London museums between 2021 and 2022: A survey of accredited museums in England has revealed that Twitter was the most used social media platform for London museums in 2021/22, with 94% of museums in the capital saying they used the digital channel. This was significantly higher than the proportion of museums using Twitter in regions of England outside of London (76%).
The Annual Museum Survey is a key annual dataset to understand the state of non-national museums in England participating in the UK Museum Accreditation Scheme and to show their importance both socially and economically to funders and stakeholders. It surveyed 765 independent, local authority and university governed organisations across nine regions including London. The research was the first opportunity to measure the differences in a number of areas including visitors, finances, volunteers and growth of digital between the pandemic years and the first full year post lockddown.
While the digital transformation of the sector occured at an accelerated rate as a result of the pandemic, the survey shows that digital momentum built was maintained in London more than anywhere else in the months after.
Instagram was used last year by 90% of London museums compared to two-thirds of museums in England (68%), while 66% of London museums used YouTube or other video sharing platforms compared to half of the museums outside of London (50%).
Facebook continues to be the most popular social media platform for museums to use overall, with 93% saying they used the platform in 2021/22, compared to 88% of London museums.
The research also found that the number of median website visits to London museums was much higher than those nationally (90,928 vs 27,225) while the median number of social media followers was also greater in London (9,956 vs 5,485).
Digital tools for creating income
Looking at the use of online digital tools used in the capital and outside of London, the survey revealed that three-quarters of museums in London used online ticketing to boost income during 2021/22 (75%), compared to 55% of museums across England. Similarly, 69% of London museums used online donations in 2021/22, compared to just 54% across England. Online shops were also used to increase income in the last year, more effectively in London, with 37% of museums in the capital utilising this avenue, compared with 34% of national museums.
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