Digitalization of Museums and the Transformation of Cultural Anthropology

This article examines the interrelationship between the digitalization of the museum sector and the transformation of cultural anthropology within the context of the development of the digital society. It analyzes how the implementation of digital technologies is reshaping the functions of museums, the methods of preserving, interpreting, and representing cultural heritage, while simultaneously influencing the methodological framework of contemporary cultural anthropology. The study demonstrates that the digital museum is gradually evolving from a traditional space for the preservation and exhibition of tangible artefacts into an open, interactive platform for the production, dissemination, and reinterpretation of cultural knowledge. Particular attention is devoted to the development of virtual exhibitions, three-dimensional modelling, digital archives, augmented and virtual reality technologies, artificial intelligence, and interactive communication tools, all of which significantly expand the possibilities for preserving, researching, and promoting cultural heritage. The article argues that digitalization transforms not only museum practices but also the subject area of cultural anthropology by stimulating research on digital communities, networked forms of cultural memory, virtual identities, digital materiality, and new models of human interaction with cultural heritage. It is established that anthropological inquiry increasingly encompasses digital environments as autonomous cultural spaces in which new social practices, symbolic systems, and mechanisms of collective memory construction emerge. The study further demonstrates that digital technologies do not replace the traditional museum; rather, they create hybrid forms of cultural communication that integrate visitors’ physical and virtual experiences. Special attention is paid to the challenges associated with digital transformation, including the authenticity of digital objects, the long-term preservation of digital resources, digital inequality, the ethical implications of artificial intelligence, the protection of cultural heritage, and the provision of inclusive access to museum collections. The article emphasizes that the digitalization of museums is establishing a new paradigm of interaction between cultural heritage, society, and scholarly knowledge, thereby fostering interdisciplinary research at the intersection of museum studies, cultural anthropology, digital humanities, and information technologies. It is concluded that the digital transformation of museum spaces constitutes one of the key drivers of the modernization of cultural anthropology, opening new perspectives for the study of culture, memory, and sociocultural communication in the digital age.