How Social Media Can Be an Asset for the Preservation of Intangible Heritage
Social media is sometimes seen as a way for today’s youth to shut themselves away from the rest of the world and block out human connection. Writers such as Eileen Pollock (2019) and Ben Borrok (2019) make the arguments that social media reduces family connections and causes loneliness. However, this mindset fails to recognize the positive elements of the global interconnectedness provided by social media and the internet. Today, more than ever, people have the power of infinite knowledge at their fingertips. For example, a tech savy New Yorker can watch a live video of a traditional dance in Mexico and talk to a friend in China at the same time while riding the subway to work. The vastness of information and ease of communication available to most people today is unprecedented and is an excellent asset for preserving intangible heritage. The purpose of this article is to argue that social media and the internet in general can be a resource for underrepresented groups to gain the exposure needed to successfully uphold the goals set by UNESCO for practices on the Intangible Heritage list.
Intangible Heritage is defined by UNESCO as “traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants.” In 2003 UNESCO established a list of intangible heritage practices so that they would be better preserved. A committee meets annually to review new submissions and update the list. Practices on the list include dances, traditional skills, and other cultural practices. Historically, these practices would have been passed down from generation to generation within the community, however, these communities are becoming extinct along with their associated intangible heritage. In our social media dominated society, however, there are videos and records of intangible cultural practices still being performed that are available worldwide. A YouTube search reveals an archive of living heritage created by both members of the participating culture and by spectators of the culture. Pietrobruno (2013) states: “As a digital medium, YouTube resembles the participatory and interactive archive, which allows users to add to core collections, enabling a popular voice to enter into centrally controlled collections.” By using YouTube as a platform for the sharing of a culture’s Intangible Heritage, the practice becomes immortalized and has the potential to be far-reaching.
In addition to YouTube, other websites and social media platforms allow the opportunity for Intangible Heritage to be shared around the world. Those who practice traditions that are on the Intangible Heritage list can document, perform, and advertise their customs with unprecedented ease. People who are not part of the culture can then see how aspects of different cultures still survive today. Stakeholders can easily access information, and participants can more easily uphold the goals set for them by UNESCO via wider exposure, and thus, better funding and knowledge sharing. In a few clicks someone can find a performance and purchase tickets, then find answers to any questions that they have about the culture. Tsai, Wu, and Din (2016) state, “Search engines like Google allow any casual web user to source for information on a performing group and link it to past, present and future events.” This means that exposure is not the only benefit of having an online presence. People who practice traditions passed down to them from their ancestors can also provide primary source evidence for the ways these traditions are valuable to them and how they affect the quality of life of the members of the culture.
Although languages are not included on the Intangible Heritage list, dying language still benefits from the internet and social media. As colonialism progressed through the United States, several native languages were stamped out and even outlawed in some places. Recently, Duolingo added free Hawaiian and Navajo courses to their languages offered to English speakers, saying “While there have been efforts to document endangered languages, the missing element for preservation is the ability to teach these languages to new generations.” This could make Hawaiian and Navajo cultures more accessible to those who otherwise would have been excluded from exposure to them. It also provides native speakers of the language the opportunity to help develop the courses. Even though language does not count as Intangible Heritage in and of itself, some of the traditions which are on the list require the use of the languages to be properly performed. Duolingo and other online services seek to perpetuate participating cultures through their languages.
Social media provides an unprecedented level of integration and preservation of different cultures. By allowing users all over the world to pseudo-participate and learn about their cultures, people have been able to ensure the longevity of their Intangible Heritage practices and traditions.
