DIGITALIZATION AS A TOOL FOR PRESERVING AND PROMOTING EUROPEAN CULTURE
Authors:   Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russian Federation), Vodopiyanova Elena V. , Korobeynikova Larisa A. ,   Tomsk State University (Tomsk, Russian Federation)
Published: September 2021

Based on the analysis of official documents of the European Union, and, in particular, introducing the content of the supranational initiative “Creative Europe” for 2021–2027, the article examines the latest trends in the organization of management of Old World culture. It is shown that in the era of formation of the information society, digitalization is becoming a basic tool not only for preserving cultural heritage, but also for promoting modern culture in the region. At the same time, it is established that this digital paradigm is now inseparable not only from the EU's innovation and technology strategies, but also seeks to develop in line with the classical postulates of European values. It is shown that in the modern European information society, digitalization is gradually becoming the main means of broadcasting culture. Thus, it is connected with the cultural system by feedback links, since it is generated by the information society and its determinants, and then it begins to exert almost a determining influence on the nature and pace of cultural dynamics. The study revealed that the digitalization of creativity, accessible to all, is now as fundamental a change as the industrial revolution in the industrial era, and the current Framework programs (including in the field of culture) are aimed at continuing these traditions in the post-industrial era. Most of these initiatives are at least partially implemented in a digital format, when it comes to informing potential participants about them, the application procedure, their subsequent examination and further promotion of the project within the EU and beyond. The author emphasizes that in the current environment, digitalization has a huge impact on how cultural products and processes are created, managed, distributed, consumed and commercialized, changing the values that prevailed in the analog era. It is established that specialists in this field must transform from “analog” to “digital” in order to compete with the culture and creativity available in the networks and at the same time offer digital versions of traditional audiovisual products. The author comes to the conclusion that the formation and expansion of the potential audience of creative industries and cultural heritage is now impossible without innovative formats. And of course, digitalization plays a leading role in them, allowing us to realize the needs primarily in various types of remote cooperation and communication. It is emphasized that this evolution is contradictory: in digital technologies, flexibility is initially programmed. EU directives declaring digitalization, however, are repeatedly agreed at all levels of government, which means that they are objectively late in meeting the needs of time and the aspirations of professionals and consumers in the cultural and creative sphere. However, this contradiction is the key to the progress of modern Creative Europe as a combination of real and virtual activities of Europeans in this area, as well as EU megaproject.