Bringing young people closer to culture, to expressing their creativity, and to a new idea of aggregation through the use of digital technologies. Is there a viable approach? Yes there is, according to the latest report of the Civita Association on the behaviour of “millenials” that was reported on by Il Sole 24 Ore in an interesting article that confirms the growing success of multimedia in the arts, citing the example of the Italian cultural videogame “The Medici Game: murder at Pitti Palace”.
The subject of the report “Millennials and Culture in the Digital Age. Cultural consumption and development between the present and the future” are generations Y and Z – the young people born between 1986 and 2003 – whose attitudes towards cultural consumption and their propensity for creative production are still relatively unknown to public decision-makers.
Who are these young people and what do they like? What role does culture play in their existence? Four different clusters emerge from the research, each with its own definition of culture: the “Caretakers”, between 25 and 32 years old, who perceive culture as a system inherited from previous generations; the “Creators”, between 15 and 17 years old, who break with institutional models; the “Seekers”, mainly female and residents in the South of Italy, who see it as a means of social affirmation; and the “Tightrope walkers”, highly educated young workers, who straddle the line between tradition and experimentation with innovative models.
Analogue or digital? The two poles must attract each other
The majority of those surveyed, however, see culture as part of their world. But we shouldn’t proclaim victory: the boundaries seem to shift sharply from traditional elements (museums, monuments, academic studies) to digital multimedia productions. This polarisation is supposed to be extraneous to the so-called “digital natives”, who are ready to experience culture in a much more flexible way. As for the current offering, young people’s consumption of culture favours activities linked to digital entertainment, while in “active” creative production, the AV world emerges, with an excellent 28% of preference among those surveyed.
All that remains is to identify the roadmap towards greater involvement of young people. The research identifies four priority objectives in the audience development strategies of market players:
- expanding the cultural offering by better integrating the digital and traditional spheres;
- creating suitable contexts: constructing spaces for creative use and experimenting with tools tailored to the interests of young people;
- facilitating access to culture: reducing economic barriers, with a view towards membership that promotes loyalty;
- supporting cultural and creative initiatives: encouraging the proposals of young people themselves through sponsorship and financial support.
A Florentine example in gaming
Technology, history and digital art come together in a good example of bringing young people closer to culture: the new videogame “The Medici Game: Murder at Pitti Palace“, created by Sillabe for the Uffizi Gallery, coproduced with Opera Laboratori Fiorentini – Civita and the association Tuo Museo.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyMTwKwJqq4[/embedyt]
It is an engaging gaming project designed to reach a younger audience and transform players into appreciators of a priceless artistic heritage.
www.civita.it
www.themedicigame.com
