Internet use in Sweden is among the highest in the world. In 2020, 96 percent of Swedes had access to the internet, and 94 percent used it daily. 65 percent used the internet to watch movies, or TV series, and 69 percent to listen to music. During the Covid-19 pandemic, internet became both more central and more vital in people´s lives. At the same time, 49 percent were worried about their personal information on the internet being collected for advertisement purposes (SCB 2020). These figures illustrate the drastic changes, opportunities and challenges posed by new modes of communication to cultural policy. Digital media have become tools in the daily work of all institutions, e.g., in the form of websites, digitalization of catalogues, online library loans, documentation and registration of museum collections, use of digital equipment for stage and other music and drama performances, box-office sales, etc. Similarly, digital media have become the natural mode of communication and networking, and a growing medium for creative expressions. As pointed out, for example, by the Government Commission on the Restart of Culture in their recent report (SOU 2021:77), the increasingly digital distribution of literature, music, and other art forms, creates new challenges for professionals in these areas when it comes to being paid for their work. In a report on digitalization in arts and culture, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee describes the implementation of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market as a chance to improve the financial situation of artists in various fields (Swedish Arts Grants Committee 2021).
A major government priority for Sweden in this area has been education, on all levels. Special funding for equipment and projects has been made available for schools in general and for educational programmes in museums and other cultural institutions. In 2017, the government approved a comprehensive strategy for digitalization, emphasizing competence, security, innovation, leadership, and infrastructure.
Specific projects deal with the digitalization of the cultural heritage. The National Heritage Board is the main responsible government agency in this area, although a large number of public bodies are engaged in such work. Projects are also conducted by The Royal Library concerning the preservation of works published on the Internet, as well as with making physical books and documents available through scanning and electronic publishing. Museums and other institutions in arts and culture work with improving electronic access, an effort which acquired increased urgency during the Covid-19 pandemic (e.g. Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis 2021b). In the national budget for 2024, the government allocated SEK 17 million per year 2024–2026 to central museums for the digitalization of archives and collections.
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