MNEMOSCOPE – A Model for Digital Co-creation and Visualization of Collective Memories

In the domain of cultural events, heritage and memory institutions, crowdsourcing and user-generated content have a growing impact on the emergence of social archives, the enrichment of digital collections and sharing of collective memories and experiences. In this context, a technology-mediated model through a participatory digital platform is proposed based on a research process comprising a multiple case study, prototype testing with users and exploratory interviews with experts. The model combines online and offline strategies, namely visualization, gamification, and locative practices, to potentiate the aggregation, correlation, and co-creation of collaborative digital resources. The participatory nature of this proposal intends to empower individuals, municipalities and cultural entities like museums, libraries, and local organizations to create and expand their community archives around past and current events, by presenting them in a multidimensional way. The model is presented through a set of operative components and principles regarding participation, visualization, and mediation, to guide the development of prototypes for specific contexts and territories. The receptivity and recommendations from potential users and experts allowed us to design the MNEMOSCOPE model in a flexible way to be adaptable and scalable. Following, the development and testing of a functional platform will be held within an R&D project, focused on cultural events and experiences in Portugal.