Opportunities and risks of digitization in the cultural sector
The Foundation for Technology Assessment analyses the opportunities and risks of digitalization in the cultural sector. The qualitative study is supplemented by the quantitative study of the Swiss Music Council (SMR).
Three sub-studies of the project take a differentiated look at the effects of digitization on cultural creation and cultural promotion. They show where there is room for manoeuvre to shape digitalization in the cultural sector in such a way that it strengthens cultural diversity, creates easily accessible new spaces for reflection and thus promotes cultural participation for as many people as possible.
Many artists are ambivalent about using digital applications: although they can be helpful in the creative phase as well as in communication and marketing, these advantages only come with additional time, financial and emotional investment, often borne by the artists themselves. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) presents this ambivalence with fictitious but realistic artist personas. Its comprehensive examination of the social, economic, political and legal effects of digitalization on the art forms of music, theater and visual design is based on literature research as well as several qualitative surveys and focus group workshops with artists.
The qualitative analysis is supplemented by the quantitative study of the Swiss Music Council (SMR), which sheds light on the specific effects of digitization in the music sector and uses two surveys to determine how the Swiss music industry is affected by current digital developments, how it perceives them and how it deals with them.
