An analysis of negative reviews in top art museums’ Facebook sites

Social media has had a profound effect on cultural-based institutional practice. The relationship between social media and these institutions is reflected in the services they provide, such as the way they communicate, the accessibility of collections, and customer engagement; however, social media is also used as a public channel for negative comments, criticism and complaints. This qualitative study aims to identify the key areas of negative comments made on Facebook review sites against the main art museums by members of the public, and determine how these institutions are monitoring this criticism. This is achieved by a thematic analysis of Facebook posts on review pages to identify what the negative issues are, plus an online survey of the Marketing/Communications Managers at the art museums. The main findings identify issues that can improve museum practice and avoid complaints in the future, which can have implications for other cultural-based institutions.