Cultural Heritage Community Research Articles

Research on the Impact of Digital Media on the Communication of Cultural Heritage and Development Strategies -- Taking “Escape from the British Museum” as an Example

The network micro-skit “Escape from the British Museum” narrates the story of a Tangzhi fine tire jade pot from China’s Tang dynasty, personified as it escapes from the British Museum. With the help of journalists, it embarks on a journey to return to its homeland, symbolically bringing back books for cultural relics that cannot be physically returned. This film creatively reconstructs media memory through vivid storytelling and digital communication, enhancing the accuracy and timeliness of conveying the significance of cultural relics. It innovatively reshapes how cultural heritage is communicated to modern audiences. The article explores the impact and opportunities presented by digital communication in the dissemination of Chinese cultural relics. It highlights how digital platforms can revitalize interest and engagement with cultural heritage by making it more accessible and relatable. Furthermore, the paper suggests new strategies for the future application of digitalization in cultural heritage communication, emphasizing the potential for increased interaction and understanding across diverse audiences. By analyzing “Escape from the British Museum,” the article provides a compelling example of how digital media can be harnessed to promote the communication and preservation of cultural relics. This approach not only fosters a deeper appreciation for cultural heritage but also paves the way for innovative practices in the development and dissemination of cultural relics in a globalized world.

Introducing Digitized Cultural Heritage to Wider Audiences by Employing Virtual and Augmented Reality Experiences: The Case of the v-Corfu Project

In recent years, cultural projects utilizing digital applications and immersive technologies (VR, AR, MR) have grown significantly, enhancing cultural heritage experiences. Research emphasizes the importance of usability, user experience, and accessibility, yet holistic approaches remain underexplored and many projects fail to reach their audience. This article aims to bridge this gap by presenting a complete workflow including systematic requirements analysis, design guidelines, and development solutions based on knowledge extracted from previous relevant projects. The article focuses on virtual museums covering key challenges including compatibility, accessibility, usability, navigation, interaction, computational performance and graphics quality, and provides a design schema for integrating virtual museums into such projects. Following this approach, a number of applications are presented. Their performance with respect to the aforementioned key challenges is evaluated. Users are invited to assess them, providing positive results. To assess the virtual museum’s ability to attract a broader audience beyond the usual target group, a group of underserved minorities are also invited to use and evaluate it, generating encouraging outcomes. Concluding, results show that the presented workflow succeeds in yielding high-quality applications for cultural heritage communication and attraction of wider audiences, and outlines directions for further improvements in digitized heritage applications.

Evaluating the potential and development of mount telomoyo as a sustainable tourism attraction in central Java

The research investigates the diverse potential attractions of Mount Telomoyo, a natural tourist destination in Central Java, Indonesia. With a growing number of visitors each year, this study aims to analyze the key components that contribute to its appeal. Utilizing qualitative methods, including interviews, observations, and documentation, the research identifies four main components of attraction: natural beauty, cultural significance, accessibility, and amenities. The natural allure of Mount Telomoyo is heightened by its stunning landscapes, surrounded by prominent mountains and offering panoramic views of Rawa Pening and nearby cities. Culturally, the site hosts annual traditional events such as the Saparan ceremony, reflecting the local community's cultural heritage. Accessibility is also a significant factor, with easy routes to the peak, facilitated by available transportation services. Moreover, the amenities provided, including accommodations, dining options, and organized tours, enhance the overall visitor experience. The study concludes that Mount Telomoyo’s tourism potential is distinguished by its combination of natural, cultural, and man-made attractions, supported by accessible infrastructure and comprehensive services. These findings suggest that continuous development and management are essential to sustaining and increasing tourist interest in the region.

The Evolution of Digital Cultural Heritage Research: Identifying Key Trends, Hotspots, and Challenges through Bibliometric Analysis

Heritage preservation fundamentally represents an act of communication, with digitization and virtual access driving cultural heritage research development and dissemination. These tools stimulate the creation of cultural heritage content and inspire public engagement in learning about and preserving heritage. Despite substantial academic focus on digital cultural heritage (DCH) research, systematic assessment methods remain lacking. This paper researches the application of digital technologies in cultural heritage studies using CiteSpace 6.2 R4 to analyze the evolution of DCH, identifying research hotspots and predicting future trends. The key findings include the following: (1) Current DCH research focuses on countries with significant national power, but future studies should emphasize regions rich in cultural heritage and promote transnational and interdisciplinary research. (2) DCH research concentrates on three areas: the use of VR, AR, and other interactive digital technologies to enhance cultural heritage experiences; the development of cultural relic databases and digital archives; and the implementation of interactive exhibitions and multimedia guides. (3) Identified research hotspots include user immersion experiences, language and identity, and virtual reality technologies. Digital technologies enhance cultural heritage communication by driving innovations in preservation, information management, and digitization. (4) Future research should focus on practical DCH development, emphasizing innovative virtual technologies, database integration, and standardized assessment methods. These efforts aim to provide valuable insights for the sustainable global preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage. The use of digital technologies in cultural heritage is becoming increasingly important, but there is still a need to strike a balance between technological development and heritage preservation to ensure the sustainability of cultural heritage.

Utilizing sociocultural identity to cope with poverty-related stress: methodological insights from developing a coping intervention

ABSTRACT Cultural identity affirmation, pride, and belongingness are known to protect youth from negative outcomes in the face of uncontrollable stresses such as discrimination, economic hardship, and community violence. Scholars have argued that racial, cultural, and other social identities serve as important coping resources, encouraging active coping and the use of social support and mitigating the impact of stress for marginalized youth. The Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills (BaSICS) program was designed to improve mental health by targeting the skills, assets, and resources known to protect against developing emotional and behavioral symptoms and disorders. In the BaSICS intervention, youth explore their cultural and social identities to strengthen their understanding of, and connection to, positively supportive social groups via exploration of family and community cultural heritage. Youth are then encouraged to engage their collaborative coping skills founded in their sociocultural identities, working together on a project of collective community action. This methodological paper will describe the theory and development of the BaSICS identity development and collective coping module.

Virtual Reconstruction of a New Model of Cultural Heritage Dissemination

According to China's cultural heritage dissemination strategy, China has always had a small scope of cultural heritage dissemination and low awareness of cultural heritage, and it is believed that cultural heritage dissemination is facing a huge dilemma. Based on the Chinese chair, the researchers study the impact of the evolution of Chinese history and technology on the chair, and propose a new way of cultural heritage dissemination of the chair with virtual reality VR technology as the core, realising virtual reconstruction based on the chair, virtual scene reconstruction, increasing the immersive cultural experience, and improving the efficiency of dissemination. The study finds a new model of virtual watch collection, handheld virtual museum dissemination. Using qualitative research, combined with user experience analysis, the user experience of the developed new mode of communication is evaluated through actual sample surveys, and the results of the evaluation obtained positive feedback on the immersion and presence of this new mode, which confirms that this research chair-based virtual reconstruction, virtual watch collection handheld gaming museums can be a new approach to improve the cultural heritage communication service alternatives.

Local wisdom tradition of maintenance of the upstream river

Various local wisdoms are used as the center of life, obeyed, revered and given a special place by every individual. Until now, these individuals still adhere to local wisdom passed down from generation to generation as the community's cultural heritage, namely the tradition of protecting the upper reaches of the Logawa River for the people of Baseh Village. A form of local wisdom in improving community welfare by relying on the values of ancestral teachings. The aim of this research is to examine local wisdom in the maintenance and utilization of the upstream area of the Logawa River in Baseh Kedungbanteng village, Banyumas Regency, to reveal cultural character biases related to human actions related to the natural surroundings where the community resides. This research uses a case study method which focuses on one particular object to be used as a case. Baseh Village, Kedungbanteng District. Data was obtained through studying the interconnectedness of evidence from several data sources at once, namely documents, recordings, observations, open, focused and structured interviews, as well as documentation studies. The results of the research show that the true meaning is revealed, namely increasing the welfare of society both economically and for the common good. their daily needs. Research on local wisdom traditions in upstream river maintenance can be an important basis for development policies and sustainable practices in managing river ecosystems throughout the world.

A grounded theory-based model of information communication in cultural heritage digital reading on the social media from the perspective of the embodied theory

New media technologies have opened up new possibilities for the communication of cultural heritage, and digital reading aligns with the participatory shift in museums, becoming an indispensable part of information communication. Currently, there exists a certain contradiction between the professional content of cultural heritage and the non-linear and immersive narrative style of new media. In order to find a balance between form and content, and explore the information communication pattern of cultural heritage in the era of mobile media, starting from practical issues, this article introduces the theory of embodied cognition, combines it with relevant theories in communication studies, and systematically explores the impact of embodied factors on audience reading behavior by using semi-structured interviews and grounded theory. The research reveals that embodied cognition, situational cognition, and interactive cognition have a significant impact on the digital reading information communication of cultural heritage on social media, which includes six factors: functional experience, sensory experience, interactive experience, scene simulation, emotional elevation and social experience. This study further constructed a theoretical model of the factors influencing the effectiveness of information communication in cultural heritage digital reading on the social media platform under the influence of embodied cognition theory, which confirms that these six factors play a significant role in the process of museum content generation, audience understanding, as well as the emergence of and the feedback loop of new meanings.

Kiamat Dance: A Reflection of Local Wisdom in Kuripan Village, South Lampung, Indonesia

The Kiamat Dance is the closing dance of the ruwah or traditional wedding of the White Blood Queendom (Keratuan Darah Putih) for seven days and seven nights, known as nuhot. The Kiamat Dance, with its history rooted in the traditions of the White Blood Queendom, holds significant cultural and social value. As the closing dance of the ruwah, this dance symbolizes the culmination of the wedding festivities and marks the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of the newlyweds. The presence of this dance in various events beyond weddings highlights its versatility and adaptability, reflecting its enduring appeal and relevance in contemporary society. Through its rich symbolism and intricate movements, the Kiamat Dance embodies the core values and beliefs of the White Blood Queendom, serving as a testament to the community's cultural heritage and identity. This research aimed to describe the history, development, and local wisdom in the Kiamat Dance from Kuripan Village, South Lampung. This research employed a qualitative approach to produce descriptive data. The underlying theory used in this study was the behavioristic theory. Data collection techniques involved field observation, interviews, and documentation. The results showed that the art of the Kiamat Dance is the closing dance of the ruwah, a series of events for seven days and seven nights at the wedding in the White Blood Queendom. The Kiamat Dance is present on the last night as a closing dance. This dance was originally only found in the wedding ceremony of descendants of the White Blood Queendom. Still, almost every event has this dance nowadays, both in welcoming special guests and celebrating holidays. The values in this dance include religious, social, aesthetic, and educational values.

Enriching Cultural Heritage Communities: New Tools and Technologies

Abstract This paper explores ways in which scholarly skill and expertise might be embodied in tools and sustainable practices that enable communities to create and manage their own digital archives. We focus particularly on tools and practices related to the recording and annotation of digitized materials. The paper is based on co-production practice in two very different kinds of community. Although the communities are different we find that tools designed for a specific community are valuable for others, thus offering the promise of general tools to support community-centred digitization and potentially also traditional archival practice.

Research on the Impact of Digital Media on the Communication of Cultural Heritage and Development Strategies -- Taking “Escape from the British Museum” as an Example

The network micro-skit “Escape from the British Museum” narrates the story of a Tangzhi fine tire jade pot from China’s Tang dynasty, personified as it escapes from the British Museum. With the help of journalists, it embarks on a journey to return to its homeland, symbolically bringing back books for cultural relics that cannot be physically returned. This film creatively reconstructs media memory through vivid storytelling and digital communication, enhancing the accuracy and timeliness of conveying the significance of cultural relics. It innovatively reshapes how cultural heritage is communicated to modern audiences. The article explores the impact and opportunities presented by digital communication in the dissemination of Chinese cultural relics. It highlights how digital platforms can revitalize interest and engagement with cultural heritage by making it more accessible and relatable. Furthermore, the paper suggests new strategies for the future application of digitalization in cultural heritage communication, emphasizing the potential for increased interaction and understanding across diverse audiences. By analyzing “Escape from the British Museum,” the article provides a compelling example of how digital media can be harnessed to promote the communication and preservation of cultural relics. This approach not only fosters a deeper appreciation for cultural heritage but also paves the way for innovative practices in the development and dissemination of cultural relics in a globalized world.

Sustainability in Hybrid Technologies for Heritage Preservation: A Scientometric Study

The use of augmented reality applied to museums to preserve and communicate cultural heritage sustainably is a topic of increasing relevance today. Museums play an essential role in preserving and disseminating culture and history, and augmented reality has emerged as a powerful technological tool to enrich the visitor experience and ensure the sustainable preservation of cultural heritage. The fundamental objective of this literature review is to explore and understand the key contributions that are being made in the field of augmented reality applied to museums, with a focus on sustainability. The literature related to this topic is dispersed in various sources of information, which motivates the need to carry out a detailed and systematic analysis incorporating sustainability aspects. To carry out this analysis, the metaphor of the “tree of science” is used. This metaphor provides a structured approach that is applied in two complementary ways. Firstly, it focuses on collecting and analyzing scientometric statistics that cover data on countries, authors, academic institutions, and research centers involved in developing augmented reality applications for museums with sustainable methodologies. This quantitative perspective offers a global view of the contributions and their geographical scope including their sustainability impact. Secondly, an evolutionary analysis based on the “tree of science” is carried out. This historical approach examines the origin and evolution of contributions in the field of augmented reality applied to museums, from its first manifestations to the most recent innovations, with an emphasis on sustainable practices. This historical approach is essential to understanding the trajectory and development of augmented reality applications in the museum context and their role in promoting sustainable cultural heritage preservation. This review aims to provide a complete and contextualized view of the use of augmented reality in museums for the sustainable preservation and communication of cultural heritage. Through a multidimensional approach encompassing scientometric statistics and historical analysis, we seek to shed light on this technology’s most significant contributions and evolution in the museum sector, with a particular focus on sustainability.

Heritage values, digital storytelling, and heritage communication: the exploration of cultural heritage sites in virtual environments

ABSTRACT Cultural heritage communication (CHCom) refers to the transfer of values that underlie heritage attributes and settings to intended audiences. Emerging digital storytelling approaches combined with advanced technologies can advance the dissemination and interpretation of information on heritage sites, particularly the intangible values essential to conveying the multifaceted complexity of sites in virtual environments. However, the holistic integration of layered heritage values into digital storytelling in heritage experience design for virtual environments remains underexplored. The present study therefore examined value-based digital storytelling as an effective CHCom method and the improvement of visitors’ recognition and contextualization of heritage values. To this end, the research addressed the communication of the diverse sociocultural significance of Seonamsa Temple of Korea as the venue of interest. The findings suggest that value-based digital storytelling helps reveal interconnected sociocultural values beyond built environments and supports the formulation of strategies for deepening visitors’ heritage interpretation.

The Digital Bow: Exploring the Potential of Digital Presence for Indigenous Community-Based Tourism in Brazil

ABSTRACT The present research explores the growing use of digital presence in indigenous community-based tourism (CBT) in Brazil, contributing to self-determination, financial security, and heritage sustainability. Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when indigenous communities hindered access to villages and ceased on-site tourist activities, the study employs small-scale qualitative research, combining active and passive online methods. The thematic analysis identifies two main themes: [1] the digital bow–a tool for connection, resistance, and awareness; and [2] an exploration of how the pandemic ignited new digital interaction formats in terms of CBT. The findings indicate that during COVID-19, digital presence increased, enriching experiences with visitors. It highlights the potential impact of digital CBT in generating local income while promoting and preserving the community's cultural heritage. Despite challenges related to limited skills and resource access, the research underscores the value of digital ventures in crafting authentic touristic activities and fostering meaningful connections with tourists.

Sosialisasi Pemanfaatan Bahan Bangunan Bersejarah dan Perkembangannya: Kolaborasi Komunitas Peneliti Peninggalan Warisan Filipina di Kota Semarang

Registered heritage buildings and sites are not just shapes and designs passed down from generation to generation. The materials and techniques used are part of the tangible and intangible heritage and contribute to the authenticity of the monument. This activity is a collaboration between the cultural heritage community of Semarang City and the City of Manila which visited Semarang. This activity aims to understand the authenticity of historical architectural works through their material and technical elements in Asia by comparing similar works in the cities of Semarang and the Philippines. It is hoped that the results of this activity will be able to find authentic images in several examples of traditional Asian architectural works and provide alternatives for forming place identities in both the cities of Semarang and Manila.

Metaverse application, flow experience, and Gen-Zers’ participation intention of intangible cultural heritage communication

With outstanding advantages in virtuality, immersion, connectivity, and openness, the application of the metaverse in the development of intangible cultural heritage has demonstrated great potential to enhance Gen-Zers’ participation intention, but the effect and its mechanism remain unclear. This study constructs a theoretical model based on the stimuli-organism-response (SOR) theory, the DeLone and McLean model of information system (IS) success (D&M) model, and flow theory, and conducts an empirical study using a structural equation model and regression analysis based on questionnaire survey data in China to uncover whether and how metaverse application exerts its impact. Results show that metaverse application can enhance Gen-Zers’ participation intention in the communication of intangible cultural heritage, and their mechanism follows a chain path of “stimulus-state-response” under the joint action of “technology-individual-environment” in which metaverse application is the key stimulus factor, flow experience is the mediator, and self-efficacy and subjective norm are moderators. The findings can offer new insights for research on metaverse application from the perspectives of consequences and effects and can also provide practical implications for metaverse application as well as the development and communication of intangible cultural heritage.

The legal implications, content elements and practical directions of systematic protection of intangible cultural heritage

The outstanding traditional Chinese culture represented by intangible cultural heritage is the "root" and "soul" of the Chinese nation. In the process of "creative transformation and innovative development" in which thoughts and expressions are interwoven and coupled, the main value of the intangible cultural heritage community should be brought into play, the cultural nutrients of the intangible cultural heritage soil should be tapped to help realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In fact, intangible cultural heritage protection has become a systematic project. The systematic thinking of intangible heritage reveals that protection action is an organic process of integrating internal material and immaterial resources to achieve integrity. By bridging and implementing the principle of integral protection of intangible cultural heritage, exploring and cultivating the inheritance methods of intangible cultural heritage groups, improving and constructing the system of related disciplines of intangible cultural heritage, continuously and strengthening the modern path of non-hereditary transmission, establishing scientific, integral and overall thinking of systematic protection of intangible cultural heritage, so as to promote the systematic protection work of intangible cultural heritage.

Preserving the Local Wisdom of Sukowilangun Village through Cultural Rituals Towards a Cultural Heritage Tourism Village

The public service emphasizes cross-generational collaboration in Sukowilangun Village. The main aim to elevate cultural rituals in the form of birth, marriage and death rituals and “Jaranan” to become cultural heritage. One of the activities undertaken was pavilion flooring and the addition of important facilities has improved the quality of cultural workshops, increasing engagement, especially among the younger generation. In addition, documentation of cultural activities, such as the “Jaranan Turonggo Setyo Budoyo” dance, provides valuable insight into the community's cultural heritage, while emphasizing their commitment to preservation. The creation of a video documenting the project process showcases intergenerational collaboration and innovation, emphasizing the importance of upholding ancestral cultural values in society. Overall, this initiative not only preserves the local wisdom but also fosters unity and continuity. This underlines the potential of technology and collaboration in safeguarding cultural heritage and passing it on to future generations. The recommendation is to maintain a social media presence to increase external community awareness of the cultural product.
 Keywords: Local Wisdom, Cultural Rituals, Tourist Villages, Cultural Heritage, Jaranan

Navigating Across Heritage and Destination Cultures: How Personal Identity and Social Identification Processes Relate to Domain-Specific Acculturation Orientations in Adolescence.

Personal identity and social identification processes can be challenging for adolescents belonging to an ethnic minority, who have to cope with the acculturation task of navigating several (and often conflictual) alternatives put forth by their cultural heritage community and destination society. Because identity and acculturation tasks are embedded in core domains of adolescents' life, this three-wave longitudinal study with ethnic minority adolescents (N = 244, 43.4% male; Mage = 14.9) examined how personal identity processes and social identifications are related to acculturation orientations in the education and friendship domains. Results of traditional cross-lagged models showed that, in the educational domain, adolescents who scored higher on cultural heritage maintenance compared to their peers, scored higher on commitment later on. In the friendship domain, stronger associations were found, such that adolescents who scored higher on cultural heritage maintenance compared to their peers, reported higher commitment and in-depth exploration later on, while those who scored higher on identification with friends reported over time also higher cultural heritage maintenance and destination culture adoption. Random-intercept crossed-lagged models indicated that, when adolescents reported above their own average on reconsideration of educational commitment, they reported increased cultural heritage maintenance later on. Furthermore, consistent associations (at baseline and over time) emerged. Overall, this study points to virtuous alliances between the fulfillment of tasks related to adolescents' identity development and acculturation.

Innovation and adaptation at the Smithsonian Institution in response to changing times and increased need

ABSTRACT This article focusses on how the Smithsonian Institution’s staff and programmes are adapting in response to an evolving world and increasing requests for assistance. The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, with long-standing programmes focussed on capacity building in times of need. Central to this work is communication—listening, building trust among collaborators and prioritising cultural heritage communities in decision-making. This article highlights four activities currently helping to strengthen cultural resources and support colleagues in times of crisis: building on early experiences to inform and improve on-the-ground cultural rescue efforts domestically and abroad; learning to build local and government relationships impacting conservation efforts abroad; creating new heritage anti-trafficking courses for law enforcement that reflect current events and include the voices of in-country experts; and building networks of expertise to develop and implement a new institution-wide Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Policy. The common thread throughout these four programmes, each with different goals, is the importance of communication and collaboration.