Reclaiming relevance: How museums can captivate Gen Z and Alpha in a digital-first world

The cultural organisations we work with daily have a common goal: to share the transformative power of knowledge. Whether using art, history, science or music as their lens, museums have long been dedicated to illuminating the complexities of human experience. We want to ensure these stories continue to echo through the generations.

Engaging Gen Z and Alpha presents both an imperative and a challenge for museums striving to remain relevant. This generation values authenticity, inclusivity and participatory experiences, expecting institutions to serve as platforms for dialogue rather than repositories of authority. Additionally, addressing barriers related to accessibility, representation and sustainability is critical, as Gen Z seeks institutions that align with their values and actively contribute to social change.

But there’s a hurdle. Many younger audiences have an indifferent attitude towards cultural institutions. Some even feel they are irrelevant and don’t belong, creating a barrier of exclusion that museums must actively work to break down. Layer that with competing factors – shorter attention spans, social media as a primary source of information and rapidly evolving technology – and the challenge becomes clear.

How can museums reclaim their place as essential spaces for dialogue and discovery?

A new era of engagement through design

With thoughtful design and strategy, museums can position themselves as accessible, dynamic hubs of learning, perfectly suited to meet young audiences where they are.

Design is integral to how we process and understand information. Done well, it transforms raw data into narratives, encourages active participation and expands accessibility. For museums, effective digital design offers not just a broader reach, but the ability to build connections with audiences who might never set foot inside an exhibition space.

The goal isn’t passive consumption. Instead, the most powerful digital experiences blend interactivity with rich storytelling to bridge the gap between past and present. Imagine creating a space where a young visitor doesn’t just scroll through information, but instead actively explores their place in the story of history.

One striking example is the V&A’s remixing of different formats like quizzes, listicles and how-to videos in Mused. Aimed at 10–14-year-olds,the site invites users to interact with “5,000 years of human creativity” across its collection. By interweaving contemporary culture with history, the V&A enables younger audiences to explore the human condition in ways that are relevant to them, with no need to travel or pay an admission fee.

Rethinking engagement

Museums sit on a goldmine of records, artefacts and knowledge. But too often, these treasures live hidden without context, inaccessible to the very audiences that could find them fascinating.

Museums must rethink how they turn collections into living, breathing narratives that resonate with Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s expectations without compromising curatorial integrity. What’s needed is a willingness to rethink traditional engagement strategies.

Take Carnegie Hall’s Timeline of African American Music. Updated in 2025, we worked with the organisation to bring history to life for a new generation of music fans and students. Visitors can now journey through 400 years of music by theme, genre, instruments and even specific musical features. Through a partnership with Apple Music, we embedded the music within the timeline itself so Carnegie can tell the story of music in an innovative way: the history of music through music. 

When you pair institutional data with compelling storytelling and smart design, the result is not just educational but exhilarating – and drives results. Since its reimagining, annual engagement with the timeline has skyrocketed from 66k to over 250k user – a nearly fourfold increase.

Designing for immersion and interactivity

Immersive and interactive design strategies breathe new life into institutional content. For example, the Brooklyn Public Library’s website for its 2023 Jay-Z exhibition used stunning audio integration that elevated its digital storytelling. The result? A surge in library memberships and widespread public buzz.

Successful projects like these balance two critical factors. First, they make content easy to absorb for digital-native audiences. Second, they preserve depth and accuracy so that meaning isn’t diluted for the sake of convenience. When aligned, these pillars of design create experiences that are as engaging as they are enlightening.

It’s worth noting that the need to future-proof content is another challenge cultural institutions will have to confront. Ensuring technologies are designed around a modular architecture – where data, presentation, and business logic are separate – means evolving and scaling systems without the risk of obsolescence. A little foresight today can prevent countless headaches tomorrow.

A borderless future for museums

We are standing at the crossroads of museums, education and technology. The borders of physical spaces are dissolving, creating hybrid digital-physical experiences that carry immense potential. Museums can now engage not only local visitors but also global audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

But here’s the critical distinction: effective digital transformation doesn’t have to happen all at once. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the idea of a monumental overhaul, think incrementally. Small, intentional steps, supported by rigorous evaluation, allow museums to grow alongside their digital offerings.

Even more importantly, digital-interactive tools are not a replacement for in-person visits. They’re complementary. When digital innovations align with physical opportunities and community outreach, we create ‘borderless’ museums that reach young people in more meaningful, memorable ways.

The call for relevance

To captivate Gen Z and Alpha, museums must meet them where they are – on social platforms, with immersive media and within the digital ecosystems they inhabit daily. But engagement is about more than delivering content. It’s about how museums use technology to deepen relationships, foster curiosity and inspire self-reflection.

With every initiative built thoughtfully, from interactive timelines to bite-sized content, museums are proving they can remain relevant and compelling in a digital-first world. The key lies in adaptability, creativity, and a relentless focus on connecting with the communities of tomorrow.

Museums have long shared the power of human stories. Now, it’s time to tell those stories in ways that resonate deeply with the next generation, shaping a future that’s inclusive, informed, and endlessly curious.