The Complexity of ‘Community’: Considering the Effects of Discourse on Museums’ Social Media Practices

Words are ‘objects of discourse’ in that they function not simply to convey meaning, but also to assert and reinforce values and truths in a society. Here I consider the effects of ‘community’ as a discursive object in museums’ use of social media, since how it is imagined affects practice, especially how institutions try to democratize practice. I trace a genealogy of ‘community’ to show how museums translate long-held ideas into new practices, explaining how its origins and social media conventions influence museums to champion an idealized view of community based on frequent, public, and immediate communication. Using the case study of the Japanese American National Museum’s Discover Nikkei project, I argue that, while communication is essential to progressive practice, museums accepting this conceptualization can actually stymie their efforts to use social media to democratize their relationship with audiences. I conclude with suggestions as to how to address this issue.