The government is seeking representatives from the UK’s IT industry and its cultural scene to help generate ideas for how the worlds of technology and culture can better work together to the benefit of both.

John Glen, minister for arts, heritage, and tourism, this week announced the launch of the #CultureisDigital initiative. The scheme is characterised as “a conversation between government, the cultural sector and tech companies, led by DCMS [the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport]". Over the coming weeks, those involved in either the technology or cultural industries are encouraged to visit a specially created website, or comment on social media platforms using the #CultureisDigital hashtag.

Related content

• Social media used as key tool in wake of terrorist attack
• Torfaen tweets: How a small Welsh council is punching above its weight on social media
• It’s time for all the parties to do political engagement on social media properly

  ---

The government is, in particular, seeking “solutions to four main challenges”.

The first of these is how digital content and forms of delivery can help increase engagement with audiences. Second is the question of how the UK can position itself “as a world leader in digitised collections and digital cultural content”.

The third challenge the government wishes to address is how technology and culture can team up to drive innovation. The final issue at stake is improving business models within the cultural sector and increasing the UK’s pool of digital skills.

Glen said: “I want to begin a conversation with you, about how we can bring the worlds of digital and culture together. So, whether your organisation is large or small, tech or culture focused – I want to hear from you, about the challenges you face, the opportunities you see, and examples we can learn from.” 

The launch of the #CultureisDigital initiative comes in the same week as the DCMS was rebranded to include the word "Digital", in a move the department claimed reflected its changing responsibilities and focus.