Response To Artifact 9

It seems that every time I hear criticism about American culture, it states how highly impersonal and private our lives are. International travelers often experience culture shock and feel that as Americans we don't regularly interact with our neighbors, we don't connect with people we don't know, and rarely are we involved in activities outside of work/school. On the surface these assumptions may hold worth, but a deeper look into our culture reveals that we do value community and that the days of being completely private are over.  With the advent of the internet we instantly have access to court records, 10 k financial reports, and  to the business/professional profiles of anyone that's a member of a social networking site. It comes at no surprise that museums have taken advantage of our society's increased participation in online communities. After reading the article Spirit Of Sharing, the one statement that stood out to me the most is that on museum websites, everyone has a voice, and a vote. People can now go online and be actively involved in deciding what exhibitions frequent their local museums. Museums have long been perceived as destination for "old people"-most art museums have never been viewed as being hip or trendy. That has all changed. By having a continuous dialogue with patrons, museums have now added exhibits that our youth can appreciate. Not only do I admire the fact that museum curators are presenting exhibits that are more interactive, I appreciate that museums are becoming more transparent in their day to day operations. Although museums have historically been open to the general public, what goes on behind the scenes has long been a mystery. How museums acquire there artifacts, how much they pay for them, and the extreme measures they use to protect them have normally not been reported. With this information available to the public, we'll have a greater understanding of how historically significant  an artifact is, and we may be more inclined visit the museum to check it out in person. The greatest thing to come from museums implementing  the internet as a tool to attract people  to come through their doors, is that they've began to collaborate with other museums across the world to allow people access to artifacts from across all continents and time periods.  By digitizing their artifacts online museums have giving people an opportunity to experience history like never before. If we can learn about other cultures  historical artifacts we will inevitable learn about the people and with America being the worlds largest melting pot this will only strengthen ties between individuals from diverse backgrounds.