Prepared between November 2019 and March 2020, Supporting Culture in the Digital Age explores how the digital age has changed the cultural value chain. It draws on existing literature and insights provided by national members of IFACCA – the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies, as well as a range of actors from across the cultural ecosystem.
Elements of the narrative have progressed significantly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and IFACCA are aware that many in the sector – including the public agencies that support arts and culture through policy, promotion and investment – have new insights, as many have leveraged new and existing digital opportunities in response to the current crisis. However, as the report demonstrates, the opportunities that come with the digital age bring challenges, too: from disparate access to infrastructure and replication of existing barriers; to protecting intellectual property, ensuring diversity of cultural expressions and understanding digital audiences. This makes it vitally important – now more than ever as we seek and adopt digital answers to our current crisis – to understand the effects of the digital age on the sector, and develop well-calibrated strategies and policies that consider the whole cultural ecosystem, to ensure that it is sustainable, diverse, equitable, and accessible.
