Peter Booth is associate professor in creative industries in the Department of Communication and Culture and co-director of BI Centre for Creative Industries. He received his PhD in Cultural Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam, following studies in fine art, economics and finance at University of Melbourne, London School of Economics, and the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. His research broadly covers sociology of art and finance, artist labour, structural and environmental change in the creative sector, and the interactions between technologies and the arts and museum sectors.
Digital technologies induce organised immaturity by generating toxic sociotechnical conditions that lead us to delegate autonomous, individual, and responsible thoughts and actions to external technological systems. Aiming to move beyond a diagnostic critical reading of the toxicity of digitalisation, we bring Bernard Stiegler’s pharmacological analysis of technology into dialogue with the ethics of care to speculatively explore how the socially engaged arts—a type of artistic practice emphasising audience co-production and processual collective responses to social challenges—play a care-giving role that helps counter technology-induced organised immaturity. We outline and illustrate two modes by which the socially engaged arts play this role: 1) disorganising immaturity through artivism, most notably anti-surveillance art, that imparts savoir vivre, that is, shared knowledge and meaning to counter the toxic side of technologies while enabling the imagination of alternative worlds in which humans coexist harmoniously with digital technologies, and 2) organising maturity through arts-based hacking that imparts savoir faire, that is, hands-on knowledge for experimental creation and practical enactment of better technological worlds.
Booth, Peter; Solvoll, Mona Kristin & Krumsvik, Arne H. (2023)
Newspaper executives’ positioning toward the evolving use of social media
Organizational and leader-specific components are used to characterize newspaper executives’ positioning toward social media. From an online survey (n=159), Norwegian newspaper executives report on the efficacy of social media, organizational culture, and work-related role stressors. Employing principal components analysis and clustering methods, we identify four leadership types and find wide variation in social media attitudes and usage reflecting organizational strategic needs and capabilities, social media-related frustrations, culture, and competencies and tradition of the newspaper executives.
Booth, Peter & Røyseng, Sigrid (2022)
Artists and Online Dissemination: An Analysis of Positions and Position-Takings
This article analyzes visual artists’ response to online sales and dissemination technologies by mapping the range of corresponding positions and position-takings by professional artists in Norway. We consider whether artists’ responses align with traditional logics of artistic consecration identified in Bourdieu’s accounts of the field of cultural production, and how these responses correspond to Rogers’ theory of diffusion of innovations. Employing multiple correspondence analysis, we find position-takings toward online sales and dissemination can be structured by a dimension differentiating between technology-oriented optimism and techno-skepticism, between high and neutral levels of risk aversion toward online technologies, and thirdly between technology adopters and those still at an intentional stage.
Gran, Anne-Britt; Booth, Peter & Bucher, Taina (2021)
Kjennskap til algoritmer - en ny digital metaferdighet
, s. 83- 99.
Booth, Peter; Navarrete, Trilce & Ogundipe, Anne Christine Titilayo (2021)
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how, in forming their policy towards open data (OD), art museums interact with the OD ecosystems they are part of, comprising internal and external components such as cultural policy, legal frameworks, user groups and economic conditions and incentives.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors structure their research as a multiple case study based on three OD ecosystems, each defined by a mid-sized European art museum at its centre. Qualitative analysis of the case studies proceeds from interviews with museum management staff and policy-related agencies in three European countries, in addition to document analysis.
Findings
The results of this study suggest that museums are sensitive towards their environments and respond to their ecosystem based on what is communicated within their networks. However, museums are not effective in communicating with their users, limiting the informational interdependence necessary for well-functioning OD ecosystems. EU policy appears to be a driving force along with national financial incentives, though institutional conditions are limiting progress. Advancing the field relies instead on an epistemological shift to understand the museum as part of a larger information network.
Originality/value
As the first comparative case study of art museum OD ecosystems that the authors are aware of, the study provides a qualitative analysis of the complex dynamics impacting OD policy within the mid-sized art museum. The authors identify specific dynamics that are thus far restricting further development of the OD ecosystem of the mid-sized European art museum
Booth, Peter; Evers, Lucas, Villaronga, Eduard Fosch, Lutz, Christoph, McDermott, Fiona, Riccio, Piera, Rioux, Vincent, Sears, Alan M., Tamò-Larrieux, Aurelia & Wieringa, Maranke (2021)
Artountability: Art & Algorithmic Accountability
, s. 45- 66.
Gaustad, Terje & Booth, Peter (2021)
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Cultural Industries in the Nordic Region: Emerging strategies in film and drama productions
For producers of film and TV-drama series, Covid-19 was a Black Swan event, a low-probability, high-impact event that is almost impossible for decision makers to forecast. The pandemic, and the government and industry restrictions that followed, rendered physical production work difficult or impossible, and caused significant market disturbances. Unable to rely on normal risk assessments and crisis management plans, producers employed emergency strategies for the survival of their projects. From a project management and strategy perspective, the crisis offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into how a full population of producers develop emergency strategies to increase the resilience of their projects. Data from film and TV-drama projects produced during the pandemic across the Nordic region reveals that producers in response to the initial complete disruption employ emergency strategies in which they relax priorities in many or all strategic areas to secure project survival, and that very few are abandoned. As the crisis lingers, with more foreseeable heightened and enduring uncertainty, emergent strategies transpire in which strategic focus returns to normal areas of content, organization, economy, and schedule. These patterns were observed across country borders, with corresponding variability in the levels of intensity of the pandemic and in restrictive measures.
Gran, Anne-Britt; Booth, Peter & Bucher, Taina (2020)
To be or not to be algorithm aware: a question of a new digital divide?
Algorithms are an increasingly important element of internet infrastructure in that they are used to make decisions about everything from mundane music recommendations through to more profound and oftentimes life changing ones such as policing, health care or social benefits. Given algorithmic systems’ impact and sometimes harm on people’s everyday life, information access and agency, awareness of algorithms has the potential to be a critical issue. We, therefore, ask whether having awareness of algorithms or not corresponds to a new reinforced digital divide. This study examines levels of awareness and attitudes toward algorithms across the population of the highly digitized country of Norway. Our exploratory research finds clear demographic differences regarding levels of algorithms awareness. Furthermore, attitudes to algorithm driven recommendations (e.g., YouTube and Spotify), advertisements and content (e.g., personalized news feeds in social media and online newspaper) are associated with both the level of algorithm awareness and demographic variables. A cluster analysis facilitates an algorithm awareness typology of six groups: the unaware, the uncertain, the affirmative, the neutral, the sceptic and the critical.
Booth, Peter; Ogundipe, Anne & Røyseng, Sigrid (2019)
In the context of the shift towards participatory practices within
museums, museum engagement with social media represents a
form of organizational change. This study approaches social
media and the corresponding organizational change from a
museum leader’s perspective, utilizing data from a broad crosssection
of 82 museums in Norway. We address how the
characteristics of a museum and its leader impact social media
attitudes, behaviors and intention towards social media-based
change. Combining factor analysis and clustering techniques, we
identify four museum leader ‘types’ who are primarily defined by
their (1) perception of museum benefits from social media, (2)
perception of own and museum support in social media activities,
(3) perception of conflicts that arise from social media usage, and
(4) social media-related values. With museums being asked to
more fully embrace the participatory potential of social media,
this study points to significant differences in readiness to change
across museum leaders.
Gran, Anne-Britt; Vestberg, Nina Lager, Booth, Peter & Ogundipe, Anne (2018)
A digital museum's contribution to diversity - a user study
Responding to the Norwegian cultural policy concern of diversity, this article presents the results from three data sets that capture user background, behaviour, values and opinions regarding the digital portal for museum objects, images and stories, DigitaltMuseum. Specifically, the exploratory research draws data from a ‘population’ survey of digital consumption in Norway, a DigitaltMuseum user survey, and device and usage data captured by Google Analytics. Designed, where possible, to capture a user’s perspective, the three data sources describe who uses the digital platform, their content preferences, motivation for using the platform, and what they ultimately do with material found. Although there is evidence that the findings are representative of a super-user group, the results nevertheless indicate that DigitaltMuseum is contributing to cultural diversity in terms of content, purpose for usage, and dissemination. For policymakers and administrators of online museum platforms, the study demonstrates the platform’s contribution to expanded diversity.
Booth, Peter & Klamer, Arjo (2017)
The valorization of art: what artists are up against
Nordic Mission Possible: An Assessment of Covid-19’s Impact on the Nordic Audiovisual Industry and the Effectiveness of Government and Industry Measures
[Report Research].
We have studied the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the restrictive and mitigating government and industry measures it has triggered for the audiovisual industry in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. This report considers impact directly on each feature film, documentary, and drama series project. By collecting data on projects, which are the fundamental organizing units for audiovisual production, results embody impact not only on production companies, but on all participants involved in a production (cast, crew, suppliers, financiers, etc.). Hence, this approach provides a fuller picture of the whole production sector.
Olsen, Ragnhild Kristine; Solvoll, Mona K & Booth, Peter (2021)
Thumbs-up to trust? Understanding users’ relationship to Facebook and local news media (Use and trust in local media before and during the pandemic: What local newspapers could learn)
[Conference Lecture]. Event
Booth, Peter (2021)
Hvor endringsvillige er norske medieledere? Og hvilken ledertype er du?
[Lecture]. Event
Grünfeld, Leo A.; Gran, Anne-Britt, Westberg, Nina Buvik, Stokke, Ole Magnus, Guldvik, Maria Køber, Scheffer, Marian, Gaustad, Terje & Booth, Peter (2020)
Koronakrisen og kultursektoren: endringer i aktivitet i mars og april 2020
[Report Research].
Spredningen av Covid19 i befolkningen i Norge og andre land har ført til at etterspørselen etter tjenester som krever fysiske møter mellom folk har nærmest kollapset i løpet av få dager i midten av mars 2020. Markedet for kunst- og kulturtjenester som krever fysiske møter eller bruk av arealer der folk samles i større grupper (teater, konserter, kino, utstillinger, festivaler, konferanser etc.) har så å si forvunnet på kort tid. I noen bransjer, spesielt i musikkbransjen, har det dukket opp en rekke nye digitale løsninger for konserter og festivaler siden koronarestriksjonene kom. Museer har tilbudt gratis online omvisninger, og teatre har lagt ut utvalgte forestillinger. Disse nye digitale aktivitetene har primært vært gratis eller basert på donasjonsprinsippet; de har derfor i liten grad påvirket den samlede økonomien i sektoren. I dette notat foretar vi en grundig vurdering av hvordan korona-krisen har påvirket kultursektoren i Norge frem til utgangen av april 2020, med særlig fokus på effekten av de innskrenkende tiltakene. Dette er en vanskelig øvelse fordi det så langt ikke er samlet inn systematisk informasjon om hva næringen nå har av aktiviteter. Det aller meste av live-aktiviteter (musikk og scenekunst) og arena-institusjoner som kino, museer og biblioteker har stoppet mer eller mindre helt opp. I ukene fremover vil vi gjennomføre omfattende surveyundersøkelser for å styrke grunnlaget for å beskrive tilstanden i næringen, med særlig fokus på utsiktene fremover. I dette notatet benytter vi ulike typer informasjon som allerede eksisterer for å danne et første bilde av tilstanden i næringen, med fokus på inntektsutvikling. For å kunne vurdere effektene av de innskrenkende tiltakene som følge av Covid-19 må vi ha noe å vurdere inntektstapet opp mot. I rapporten «Kultursektorens økonomi i Norge 2018» har vi nylig kartlagt næringens økonomiske aktivitet. Total omsetning i kultursektoren, som her er avgrenset til bransjene musikk, scenekunst, bok, kunst1, museer og kulturarv, utgjorde 39 milliarder kroner i 2018. Det er grunn til å forvente at tallene for 2019 lå om lag 5 prosent høyere enn dette. Den 12. mars ble det innført omfattende nasjonale tiltak for å stoppe smittespredningen av koronaviruset. Regjeringen besluttet blant annet et forbud mot kultur- og idretts- og andre arrangementer med mer enn 500 deltakere, som vil gjelde frem til 31. august. 2 Et annet tiltak omfatter forbud mot reiser inn og ut av Norge for folk som ikke har oppholdstillatelse eller har en kritisk grunn for opphold i Norge. Dette rammer særlig konserter, festivaler og utstillinger. Det er allerede blitt gjennomført flere analyser som beskriver hvordan de innskrenkende krisetiltakene har rammet og vil ramme økonomien, herunder kultursektoren. Det er bred enighet i denne litteraturen om at kultursektoren, er blant næringene som rammes hardest av de innskrenkende tiltakene. Samtidig er analysene gjort på et tidspunkt der det fortsatt har vært for tidlig å kunne observere de fulle næringsmessige effektene av tiltakene. Vi oppsummerer kort de funnene som er gjort. Samtidig er det viktig å understreke at ulike metodiske framgangsmåter og næringsinndelinger bidrar til at funnene i de ulike analysene ikke nødvendigvis er direkte sammenlignbare med våre funn. Vi presenterer noen foreløpige vurderinger av tilstanden i sektoren, blant annet med utgangspunkt i løpende indikatorer. Samlet for sektoren anslår vi nå at 36 prosent av inntektene har forsvunnet, men vi vil presisere at det er stor usikkerhet knyttet til dette tallet. Det er også store forskjeller mellom de ulike bransjene. For musikk er fallet anslått til 50 prosent. For scenekunst er fallet 42 prosent, men inntektsfallet for bokbransjen er beregnet til 23 prosent. Det er med andre ord store variasjoner mellom bransjene i sektoren. Månedene mars og april er relativt rolige måneder for kultursektoren. Basert på anslåtte sesongvariasjoner anslår vi at kultursektoren i disse to månedene har mistet en omsetning på 1,5 mrd kroner.
Krise og kreativitet i musikkbransjen – koronapandemien 2020
[Report Research].
På oppdrag fra Musikkindustriens Næringsråd, og medfinansiert av Norsk kulturråd og de regionale Musikkontorene, har BI Centre for Creative Industries (BI:CCI) gjennomført en stor spørreundersøkelse i musikkbransjen i forbindelse med koronapandemien. Formålet var å kartlegge de økonomiske konsekvensene av koronakrisen, hvilke offentlige tiltak bransjen har benyttet og hvilke nye musikkinitiativ som har oppstått som følge av krisen.
Prosjektansvarlig har vært prof. Anne-Britt Gran (BI:CCI), med Linn-Birgit Kampen Kristensen (BI:CCI) som prosjektkoordinator, Peter Booth (BI:CCI) som analyseansvarlig, Audun Molde (Høyskolen Kristiania) og Anja Nylund Hagen (Musikkvitenskap, UiO) som eksperter på musikkbransjen.
