Social Media Boost During the Pandemic: A Statistical Approach to the Case of Lithuanian Museums

Anotace: As a disease prevention measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, museums worldwide stopped accepting visitors and increased their digital activities as an alternative. This study examines the long-term impact of COVID-19 on social media usage by Lithuanian museums from 2019 to 2021. The research questions were: “Have levels of social media usage by museums increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, how has the content changed?” Statistical and content analyses of Facebook use by Lithuanian national and state museums from 2019 to 2021 revealed that social media posts increased. Quantitative analysis showed seasonal variations in activity, with a significant increase in September of each year. Qualitative analysis categorized posts into invitations to visit, publicising activities, interacting with visitors, announcements and statements. It was found that the museums mainly used social media for unidirectional information dissemination rather than interactive communication.