Glassberg attributes the increase in historical activity to a broad number of factors. These include organized groups of people who have chosen to affiliate themselves in order to gain power and influence and make their stories heard. This has led to these groups being able to create public history experiences that are relevant to them. Glassberg argues that this in turn has narrowed the scope of each individual experience as it is so focussed on one area. He also considers Americans’ ability to move freely and easily around the nation to be important as people try to engage with history to regain a sense of place and reconnect with their personal history.
Technology is important in the increase in historical activity because it allows people to experience things on their own terms. This could be visiting a museum online or using an ipad to look at objects more closely as we saw at Carillon Park. Audio guides in museums are no longer ‘cutting-edge’ technology but they still allow people to learn about exhibits at their own pace and in their preferred language (depending on language options available). Being able to enjoy history in your own way encourages more people to engage with it and helps to break down barriers for those who think that history is only for academics.
I believe that technology will continue to enhance historic interpretation as people want to try new ideas and ways to get people interested in the exhibit, museum or experience that they are trying to promote. The role of historians should be to ensure that the facts do not get lost in all the technological showmanship. Embracing technology could be a way to show that history is relevant to everyone and - dare I say it? Just a little bit cool.
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