Digital enjoyment, being there virtually
How the digital revolution is changing our lives – Part 9: Culture
Lemo is always open. The Living Museum Online – run by the German Historical Museum, the House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal Archives – never closes. Visitors can go on a guided tour at any time: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All they need is access to the Internet. In other cultural spheres, too, the nature of the experience is changing. Literature often reaches its readers electronically – almost one in four Germans read e-books. You can now also watch broadcasts of operas at the cinema. And Tim Renner, Berlin’s Permanent Secretary for Cultural Affairs, suggests presenting all the capital’s theatre premières live on the Web. “The more transparent we are in showing what our theatres can do, the more people will come.” Not everyone is convinced. Certainly, opening up online has not harmed museums. They attract over 100 million people every year – and the number is rising. ▪
