Followers, fans, likes\u2014at first glance, these don\u2019t sound like they belong in a scientific or heritage setting. But they do. Because the moment communication moves beyond internal dialogue, it becomes relational. And social media, with all its unpredictability, has become a space where those relationships leave traces\u2014visible, measurable, and worth paying attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together with colleagues, I explored this idea in a paper based on a round table held at the 21st Cultural Heritage and New Technologies Conference in Vienna back in 2016. What started as a focused discussion on archaeology turned into a broader reflection on communication strategy, public expectations, and institutional blind spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking at it from today\u2019s perspective, the piece is\u2014if anything\u2014more relevant than it was then. Social media has moved from being an \u201cadd-on\u201d to being a primary arena of public dialogue. The gap between what institutions want to say and what audiences are ready to hear hasn\u2019t closed\u2014it has grown. And while tools to analyse social data have become more sophisticated, the mindset for using them strategically is still evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because social data isn\u2019t about chasing numbers. It\u2019s about asking better questions:\nWhat resonates? What doesn\u2019t? Where do misunderstandings emerge?\nAnd more importantly\u2014what do we do with that knowledge?
Was kommt wirklich an? Was bleibt ungeh\u00f6rt? Wo entstehen Missverst\u00e4ndnisse?
Und vor allem: Was folgt daraus?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many years, I\u2019ve worked with organisations\u2014academic, cultural, and civic\u2014who want to improve their communication but still approach it from a sender mindset. Social media challenges that. It forces us to stop assuming what people need to hear and start observing what they actually react to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That doesn\u2019t mean giving up expertise. It means connecting it to relevance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What social data makes visible is not just trends, but tension: between what we want to say and what our audiences are ready to hear. Between expert narratives and lived experience. Between intention and interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Handled thoughtfully, that tension becomes productive. It helps shape communication that is more than just outreach\u2014it becomes dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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