Cultural Content of Independent Creative Spaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

One of the economic sectors most affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic has been the cultural and creative industries, turning cultural workers into a financially vulnerable group. The purpose of this study was to identify some early forms of the resilience of cultural activity during the emergency period of the COVID-19 crisis. The engagement index of the users’ communities was evaluated through some metric indicators in social media, the transfer of cultural-creative activities in the online environment, and the content and impact of digital stories. A sample of 126 independent cultural spaces in Romania was assessed. To validate the content of the social media stories promoted by various independent cultural entities, interviews with the managers of several creative spaces were performed. During the emergency period, we noticed the intensification of the digital activity, with creative spaces switching their activities from on-site to online. The content of Facebook posts highlighted stories about their own activity, about the activity of other spaces, or those encouraging social campaigns. The resilience associated with the independent cultural and creative sector is more an individual adaptation than an organizational or collective adaptation. For instance, the online cultural performances were some of the emergent reactions to the COVID-19 crisis.

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