Would Brunelleschi have used Twitter?
As well as studying digital marketing I am also studying Italian. At a recent class at the Italian Cultural Institute, Dublin, both interests converged when my eyes were drawn to an information leaflet with the intriguing headline ' Would Brunelleschi have used Twitter'. An encounter between the Renaissance and the social web. The intriguing title and ideas are the work of a Florence based web company, Cantiere Creativo, who are currently working on a project for the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.
My immediate thoughts were, of course Brunelleschi would have used Twitter as well as other social media and digital platforms but how does the digital world apply to Renaissance Italy. The very concept of ‘Renaissance’ suggests innovation and change and who better to embrace the ‘new digital world’ while retaining the best of the ‘old world’ than the great artists of the Renaissance era and the custodians of their legacy today.
The question remains as to how does the world of Renaissance Italy and digital and social media converge? Italy has an incredible wealth of artistic work in every region and every community. This is part of its rich tapestry of cultural endeavour and of our fascination with Italy. Why and how does a centuries old museum embrace the digital world, decide to ‘go online’, to ‘be social’ and to do all of this in a timely manner?
Italy as a society is inherently social with a strong sense of community. The aim and result of going online, developing websites and a social media presence is to build awareness of the value of art and moreover, give the community a means to promote its culture. What better channels to achieve this aim than paid, owned and earned digital media channels: websites, facebook, twitter, blogs etc.
If a centuries old organisation can become digitised and reap financial and non-financial rewards.. then the whole world can do it!