A small change in the rules can spark dramatic behavior shifts, not always for the better.
Consider the Louvre. For the last couple of years, the Louvre has banned photos in the museum's most crowded galleries, where its most famous works are on display. This week, they lifted the ban.
The result: Museum visitors were instantly transformed into a slavering, uncouth herd of elbowing nuts hellbent on getting their snapshots. Like A-list celebrities, the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa are swarmed by paparazzi who will do anything for their photo.
At this time of year, the Louvre is always a mad scene, where some of the world's highest works look down on some of the world's lowest behavior. But allowing photos in the busy galleries made a clear change for the worse. A visit to Mona Lisa's gallery late in the day on Monday revealed a room badly treated after a day of maniac tourism. Shredded museum maps and discarded soda bottles were scattered on the floor.
Photography leads to bad behavior? What happened?
Visitors' goals changed. The change in rules turned a contemplative objective into a competitive one. They were no longer there to view the works but to get their souvenir pictures. Other visitors became either obstacles and competitors in the pursuit of that goal. Previously content to view the work from a distance, getting to the front of the crowd is now an imperative, shoving and jostling the way to get there. It's a scrum.
It's also a useful reminder for anyone who's responsible for designing any interface or experience. Adding a feature, changing the environment or tweaking the rules can have unintended consequences on goals and behaviors.
Comments
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Maybe its time to put that ban back into place, eh?
LOL!
I hope they do! It will be interesting to see if they do, though. They're in a bit of a quandary: Visitors obviously want to take pictures (and they've always been allowed to do so in other galleries). Letting them do it damages the flow and experience of the museum. But not letting them means guards telling visitors every 10 seconds that they can't -- a drag for both sides.
I suspect that they dropped the ban because guards were exhausted by fighting the tide on this one. In my opinion, it's worth the effort.
Hmm.. I took a photo in 2005 similar to yours:
http://flickr.com/photos/eliot/47495107/in/set-1035353/
Are you sure the ban has been in effect for several years?
On the other hand... I found it rather cool that guards weren't bugging me constantly if me and a friend wanted a photo by a statue. In the US, cameras are almost always forbidden from art galleries. I found in Europe that nearly no one cared. Strange reversal of social etiquette.
@eliot: Thanks for your comment (and the great photo!). As I recall, the ban has been in effect since sometime in 2005, but it might have been early 2006... "A couple of years," as I wrote above. Certainly at least a year.
I agree that it's great to be able to take photos in the galleries, and I often do; but wow... it was a really remarkable change in behavior from one week to another.
I've often speculated that the difference in rules between European and American museums might be because most European museums are public collections and most American museums are private. Perhaps private collections are more protective of the reproduction rights than public collections, in which the image belongs to the public domain? Just guessing.
I certainly don't advocate banning photography in museums outright. In the busiest galleries, though, I think that the ban is worthwhile; it really makes it possible to actually see and enjoy the works.
I wonder if it might be enough to post a bunch of signs saying "Please, No Photography" and not have the guards enforce it, with the idea that some people will ignore, or simply not see, these signs. Maybe it will cut down on the number of people shooting by half or a third, but every bit might help.
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