Abstract
Rooted in the dialogic communication model, the main objective of this study is to analyse the interactivity level of websites of gastronomy museums in Turkey. Thus, it will be unearthed whether gastronomy museums are progressing towards more dialogic or are staying informative systems with the relationship with their target audience. Via content analysis on websites, two questions were sought: (1) What kind of tools are utilized to present information? (2) What tools or resources are utilized on websites to interact with virtual visitors? The data were analysed by comparing private and public museums. The results indicate that the websites of gastronomy museums in Turkey have a medium level of interaction in presenting information and a low level of interaction in the tools available to virtual visitors. And thus, it can be said that museums use their websites for one-way communication, which are not fit for dialogic communication. This is valid for both private and public museums. Managerial implications were discussed, and future research directions are presented.
TopInteractivity And Dialogic Communication
In the early stages of the Internet (Web 1.0), users had the opportunity to statically view and read the content on the webpage without any interaction (like, comment, answers, etc.) with the page content (Handsfield et al., 2009). Therefore, solely one-way communication from organizations to users was concerned (Capriotti & Pardo Kuklinski, 2012). However, this has changed radically with the introduction of the period referred to as Web 2.0. This period, enabled the users to comment on, change and update the content as well as reading it (Curran et al., 2007). Thus, the level of interaction between websites and users has increased and the opportunity for two-way, symmetrical communication has emerged (Capriotti et al., 2021). A comparison between Web 2.0 and Web 1.0 can be seen in Table 1.
Table 1. Difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0
| Web 1.0 | Web 2.0 |
| Mode of usage | Read | Write and contribute |
| Unit of content | Page | Record |
| State | Static | Dynamic |
| How-to content is viewed | Web browser | Browser, RSS readers, Mobile devices, etc. |
| Creation of content | By web site authors | By everyone |
Source: (Curran et al., 2007)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Dialogic Communication: Any exchange of ideas and views that are mutually negotiated and tend to co-create a common meaning rather than a certain truth claimed by each party.
Gastronomy Museum: A space or institution that engages with a particular food or drink and tells its story, its preparation, or its social and cultural ties; where tools and machinery used in agricultural production, cooking and food service are stored, exhibited, and researched.
Gastronomy: (1) The science and art of eating and drinking that examines the relationship between culture and food. (2) Healthy, well-arranged, pleasant, and delicious cuisine, food order, and system.
Interactivity: Versatile and interactive communication and relationship in which both parties can negotiate directly.
Museum: A space or institution where works of art or science found in excavations are unearthed, stored, researched, and exhibited according to the collections.
Web 1.0: A web technology that was used in the early stages of the Internet, in which the user communicates with the other computer in one direction.
Web 2.0: It is the second-generation internet service. It defines social communication sites, wikis, communication tools and the system created by internet users jointly and by sharing.