Censorship to the art in social networks: analysis of the experience of Flemish and Viennese Museums

Abstract

It has been insisted that social networks democratize access to information. However, circumstances such as Internet availability, restricted access to this service in some countries, or socioeconomic differences can slow down such democratization. This inequity increases with the policies of censorship or control of social media. One of the censored sectors is the museum because the algorithms are incapable of recognizing the difference between art and explicit pornography. This research analyzed the initiatives undertaken by Vienna and Antwerp. The first, commanded by the Vienna Tourist Office, which brought together the Albertina Museum, the Leopold Museum, the Vienna Natural History Museum and the Art History Museum who, faced with censorship on social networks, decided to open a profile official on OnlyFans to reach the audience with works of art that the rest of the social media considers obscene. And the second, from the Rubens House Museum and the Flanders Tourist Office against the censorship applied by Facebook, with the works of Rubens. Through semi-structured interviews with those responsible for these initiatives, the impact generated by these initiatives was analyzed, as well as the communicational interest that aroused internationally and their effect on social media conglomerates. After analyzing the communication strategies of Flemish and Viennese museums, it is concluded that social media companies still do not establish fine algorithms that avoid this type of censorship.