A survey of a wide-ranging mix of US-based arts organisations shows that the internet, social media, and mobile connectivity now permeate their operations and have changed the way they stage performances, mount and showcase their exhibits, engage their audiences, sell tickets, and raise funds.

'Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies' was published on 4 January 2013 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

These organisations are even finding that technology has changed the very definition of art: 77% of respondents agree with the statement that the internet has “played a major role in broadening the boundaries of what is considered art.”

“For most of these organisations, technology suffuses their operations and their engagement activities with their communities,” noted Kristen Purcell, research director at the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, and a co-author of the report.

“They are using the technologies to expand their offerings, grow and diversify their audiences, and bring technology users into the act of creating art itself.”

Some 1244 arts organizations that have received funds from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in recent years took this survey.

Full Report: Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies

by Kristin Thomson, Kristen Purcell, Lee Rainie

Source: The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project