ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that beyond ‘translation’, another process, referred to as ‘tinkering’ is essential for museum staff to pursue social inclusion work through social media. The chapter mainly draws on research stemming from three mini case studies: the Myseum, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), and the museum of migration (MM) and brings these into conversation with observations made at the Open Museum. The concept or socio-technical process of tinkering in this chapter is used to highlight how staff listen to users and subsequently respond by leveraging social media affordances but also external resources, in iterative ongoing processes. In responding to users, staff’s practices encompass bringing together content in the form of ‘voice’ such as user stories or perspectives and users themselves in collaborative relationships. In doing so, staff negotiate the affordances of social media, creating new ad hoc infrastructures that sustain the institutions’ social role. Staff referred to these infrastructures as ‘a community hub’ (Myseum staff), a ‘platform for dialogue and awareness raising’ (MM staff), and a ‘platform to share our Native voices’ (NMAI staff).
