In recent years, technology has established itself as an important tool, capable of bringing innovations, agile solutions and significant changes to diverse segments. Every day, it is becoming increasingly a part of our routine, whether it provides us facilities, shows us new ways of relating to the world around us, or brings us closer to our objectives and goals.

In the personal, professional or commercial spheres, technology is present. And, for every positive transformation it causes, its value for the contemporary world is confirmed.

Do you want a brief example? With the popularization of mobile devices around the planet, applications have become increasingly useful. Many of them are used for fun and distraction, others allow for different ways to keep in touch with people, and some provide us with services and products in a simplified, easy way.

Companies like Uber, AirBnB, Ifood, Spotify and, of course, the various social networks, like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, have now become household names and have profoundly changed our relationship with food, transportation, hospitality and tourism services, music consumption, and communication in general.

However, the use of technology goes beyond the examples outlined above. There's a place for technology in areas as different as health, safety, business, and education, among others. In all of them, technology brings new perspectives and efficiently optimizes workflows.

Culture is no different. Technology today has an essential role in making cultural products and artistic expressions be a part of all of our routines, often highlighting the important people behind the creative output — all of this with a different touch, of course!

That’s what we’re going to talk about in the article below: how can culture benefit from technological devices and innovations? If you were curious to better understand the relationship between technology and culture, just read on. Shall we?!

The role of culture in our society

First of all, we believe that it is essential to talk a little about culture itself, only to better explain its points of contact with technology.

Culture is an essential feature of a society and, more than that, it is what differs one nation from another. In this sense, customs, music, literature, art, ways of thinking and acting all contribute to the strengthening of the singularities of a culture.

Culture acts as a strong social identification agent, helping to create a behavioral model that integrates different segments and is strengthened over generations.

Other than that, many people see, in cultural expressions, ways to expand their potential and create even more meaningful relationships  with the world and the people around them. In other words, culture brings benefits in specific areas such as personal satisfaction and fulfillment, but also broadly, in areas such as social identification. And all of this can be mediated with technology.

Technology and culture: what are the benefits of this relationship?

Now that we understand some of the basics about culture, we’ll see how technology is able to contribute to the strengthening of artistic manifestations.

In recent years, it is possible to notice the growth of services and products that use technological devices as their basis. In addition to facilitating our interaction with the digital universe, these tools also change the ways we design and experience physical spaces.

Our homes, our jobs, leisure places, shops in different sectors, cultural centers — all of these are examples of places that, in some way, can be impacted by the use of technology.

Once they open themselves up to the use of innovative, cutting-edge techniques, hybrid environments are created. In these new spaces, technology adds value and, in the cultural scenario, this contribution is significant.

Lately, it has been quite common to find artists who include props and elements connected to the digital world in their works. With that, new ways to tell stories emerge. Many classical artistic concepts, when linked to a new way of interpreting reality, can generate unusual combinations.

Based on this logic, technology comes to make a new impact, especially with respect to content diversification, interactivity, immersive experiences and access.

Augmented reality, for example, is a technique that draws a lot of attention: it uses several sensory elements and awakens a mixture of sensations that, in turn, are able to make the artistic experience more powerful, attractive and unforgettable.

In addition, the use of data can also be quite valuable. In the case of museums, by collecting and verifying information in an appropriate manner, it is possible to improve the selection and presentation of works, exhibitions and educational programs. That is, thanks to the use of the technology in question, these spaces can shape delivery to the needs of its audience.

Technological benefits for culture don't stop there: tech also helps in the connection between artists and people interested in art. Writers, painters, musicians, among others, can exchange techniques, reports, and, of course, increase their chances of ensuring visibility to their works. Collaboration and product delivery, without intermediation, both gain strength in this case.

This last factor is directly linked to a key topic: access to culture. For many people, if it weren't for tools like the Internet, for example, it would be quite complicated to make a career out of art, or even to get in touch with any type of cultural movement.

From the transformations brought about by technology, which we discussed above, many people and institutions are able to find benefits that expand their relationships, both with art itself and with those who are attracted to it. 

Technology, as we have seen, is playing a fundamental role today, in the cultural field. It changes the presentation format of artistic expression, encourages collaboration, promotes interactivity, increases the reach of the arts and, above all, democratizes access to cultural products.

The importance of the access to culture

For a portion of our society, culture is seen in a shallow way, as an entertainment, a simple past-time. However, its importance goes beyond the superfluous and shouldn't be understood as a luxury. The same also goes for housing, health, safety and education: access to culture must be seen as a basic need for anyone.

In order to remove culture from this background position, it is necessary to see it as an indispensable element for the development of citizenship.

As already mentioned in this same article, culture plays a major role in the process of creating a nation's social identification, in addition to contributing to individual development, in the personal context.

From various cultural mobilizations, it is possible to strengthen the memory of a society,  creatively with the present moment, providing opportunities for leisure, creating a source of income for many people, and also acting in the education and rescue of countless individuals who are in a vulnerable situation.

Yes, art has all this power. With music, poetry, books, theater, cinema, dance, paintings, among other forms of artistic expression, we are able to understand the characteristics of an era from the lens of those who see the world in a more poetic, less objective way. That enriches our society, brings new meanings to reality and, obviously, touches those who let themselves be touched by the strength of culture.

Given this panorama, technology is a strong ally and exists to add efforts to help popularize cultural exhibitions. The Internet, we emphasize again, stands out as an incentive for this whole process. The online world allows access to music, movies, books, plays, paintings and other cultural products that, before, were restricted to less democratic spaces, which could only be visited by a privileged portion of citizens.

In this regard, we have a great tip for you, who made it this far: you know that museum you've always wanted to visit, but is too far from your home? With the Internet, you can visit it right now, without leaving the couch — and the best part is that everything is free and without queues!

Below, we list 5 museums that, with the use of technology, have enabled their huge collections to be seen by millions of people around the world. Just scroll down and check one by one!

5 museums to visit without leaving your home

Louvre Museum, Paris (France)

The classic Louvre Museum, located in Paris, France, is one of the most popular destinations coveted by art lovers. In its collection, one can find the beautiful Mona Lisa, the most notable and well-known painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. Would you like to see everything with details and no queues? Click on the link and have fun!

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (USA)

The Metropolitan, also known as The Met, is one of the largest and most complete New York museums. With a considerable amount of works, The Met charms its visitors, either in person or online. On the website, you can check out videos that show the museum in 360º and several texts and photos about the history of the place and the pieces on display. In addition, you can still visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art via the Google Arts & Culture, a kind of Google Street View of art. Visit now.

Pinacoteca, São Paulo (Brazil)

The Pinacoteca is located in the old Lyceum of Arts and Crafts building, designed at the end of the 19th century. In addition to the beautiful building, the Pinacoteca has more than 9,000 works of art, including pieces by major Brazilian artists such as Anita Malfatti, Victor Meirelles, Eliseu Visconti, and José Ferraz de Almeida Junior, among others. Mestiço, by Candido Portinari, is just one of the paintings in the Pinacoteca that draw a lot of attention from visitors. Are you ready for the visit? Click here. 

Anne Frank House, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Anyone familiar with the story of Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who took refuge with her family during World War II, will be thrilled by the visit to her house. In the digital version of the site, which is originally in Amsterdam, you can watch videos about the little girl’s life and learn more about her famous diary. The Anne Frank House is yet another museum available, too, on Google Arts&Culture. 

Uffizi Gallery, Florence (Italy)

Located in the city of Florence, Italy, the Uffizi Gallery is famous for bringing together works by great Italian artists. In its collection, one can see Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece The Birth of Venus, alongside paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rafaello. Do you want to walk the corridors of the museum? It's easy! In addition to the website's online exhibitions, with high resolution images, you can also access it through Google Arts&Culture.

Bonus: Timelinefy

Do you know Timelinefy? We're an online platform that helps people learn and present information to each other. This information is made available in a timeline format, which makes it possible to organize historical facts in a chronological, dynamic and collaborative way. Oh, and virtual, of course!

This initiative is yet another way of contributing to the access to culture, since we rely on publicly available knowledge about the history of painters, musicians, writers, dancers and other artists, of the most varied periods, and present it in a new way.

The platform is super-interactive, easy to navigate and has many ideas, references and interesting news on various topics and subjects. What story do you want tell? What do you want to know? Timelinefy helps you! Access our website and start, right now, to get to know our features. 

Conclusion

In this article, we've learned how technology and culture are closely related today. In addition, we saw the benefits that technological devices and tools can generate for cultural manifestations, providing that a greater number of people can have access to them.

With that, we see that technology and culture can go together, adding to each other, and contributing to a more informed, aware and sensitive society to the many different artistic expressions from all over the world.