Headsets in hand, the young come to learn

In today’s entry I will challenge the common notion that museums are both entertainment for the elderly as well as ancient relics themselves. When imagining a day at the museum, one might picture a grandmother of 74, taking a leisurely stroll through the MET with a pad of paper in one hand and a canvas-carrying bag in the other.

However true this notion may often be, museums today rarely reflect this image. Upon walking into the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, one is amazed by the expansive stone ceilings, the gigantic marble columns, and the presence of a young and bustling college-aged audience. The reasoning behind this is simple. Museums today offer an interactive experience for the viewer. No longer is one required to read the small print to the left of the masterpiece. The viewer is able to stand back, view the picture in its entirety, the way it was meant to be viewed, and simultaneously receive an auditory history of that very masterpiece.



This auditory and often visual convenience allows for people of all ages and different educational backgrounds to receive and enjoy an in depth view of the history behind the art they are observing. In the article, “MoMo: enabling hybrid museums”, J. Jaen discusses the integral function of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in today’s museums. Jaen states that PDAs allow museums the ability to “satisfy both visitors’ desires and the museum’s goal of spreading culture.”

Could this new and easy accessibility to knowledge be responsible for the young and engaged crowd? I’ll let you be the judge.