Welcome to issue 107 of Digital Things, by Alec Ward. I’m sorry that I missed an issue in February, it turns out that it’s a very quick month. I’m sure that you were frequently checking your inbox, exclaiming to your friends and family “where’s the latest Digital Things newsletter?!”. But I’m back at it for March, so stop your threating! Enjoy.
Don’t forget to check out and subscribe to The Digital Snapshot (also free, also put together by me, more frequently with more in-depth insights).
The Let's Get Real conference was an absolute blast. It was wonderful seeing so many people in one place, enthused about digital value and intrigued about AI in our sector. We launched the report at the conference, which outlines a number of insights recommendations around understanding digital value for the arts and culture sector. Give it a read.
We have also launched the expression of interest for the next Let's Get Real cohort. This year, we're tackling AI. You can find out more about the programme on our website. I'm really excited about this one and I think it's going to be popular - so don't miss out! You can express your interest through our online form.
The sale of TikTok's US operation is still up in the air and, unsurprisingly, it's about much more than just TikTok. The platform appears to be being used as a bargaining chip to iron out other political matters, like tariffs and tech policy.
Here are some useful data-driven ideas for your Facebook strategy.
This is an interesting post detailing how The Tank Museum was demonetised on Meta.
This is some really interesting research into the impact of the LibraryOn's £1.5m grant programme. In particular, the overview of the case studies is very interesting - showing the range of what was funded and how.
I thought this was really cool - 'A badly burnt scroll from the Roman town of Herculaneum has been digitally "unwrapped", providing the first look inside for 2,000 years'.
The Digital Culture Network have announced the shortlist for their 2025 Digital Culture Awards - lots of fantastic organisations and individuals up for the awards!
Last month, China launched DeepSeek as a competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT. Early reviews suggest that it's a better tool, but it's worth considering what data you're giving it and where it's being processed (though the same goes for any AI tool).
A report by the US Copyright Office suggests that artists can copyright pieces they created using AI, but only “where AI merely assists an author in the creative process". Obviously this in the US, but it could help to set a precedent elsewhere.
Lots of people are using AI in their workplace without their employer's knowledge. That's not necessarily always a bad thing, but you need to be aware of how you and your colleagues are using these tools and what data you're giving them.
This is a really interesting report from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre and DCMS, on measuring the economic value of digital culture through a case study focusing on the Art UK platform.
Here's a great issue of Content of the Week focusing on tone of voice, with some great examples from different organisations and creators.
Some colleagues introduced me to Better Images of AI, which aims to create a repository of AI images that anyone can use which avoid the usual tropes and challenges of most AI generated images. It's worth a browse.
📺 Watching: I recently finished American Primeval, which I quite enjoyed. My only gripe is that they overplayed the ‘person is new to the area and thinks they know best, person who’s been there their whole life actually knows what to do, new person ignores them and gets in trouble, other person has to save them’ trope.
🎮 Playing: I just finished Kingdom Come Deliverance (the first one). I started playing it back in 2017 but stopped playing it at some point for a reason I can’t remember. I decided to pick it up again after Christmas and I really enjoyed it. It isn’t perfect and it feels dated at times - but mostly it’s great fun and I’d really recommend it.
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