Our aim is to study cultural activities in Katowice with particular regard to their city-like character. We want to see, among other things, how public activities in the city interweave with the activity of social media users. To this end, we try to harness the research potential of digital tools for data analysis and visualisation. Presented below are the relationships between the acquired content and the planned tools and products that will enable the user to explore the five thematic areas identified at the outset of our study.

For instance, when you hover over the first “survey” item, you will see that it is related to four tools or products: a Facebook app you can use to fill out a survey, as well an event chart, a map, and a test report. These, in turn, will serve to explore as many as four out of the five research themes of interest to us. We describe these in detail below. In addition, you will find a table listing the data sources used in the study at the end of the post.

Who are the creators of Katowice’s culture?

How to identify and present the rich network of culture creators in Katowice – from high-profile events and official institutions, to city enthusiasts, and Web-based aficionados? By mapping the city’s cultural actors, such as grass-roots artists and content promoters, city enthusiasts, but also official entities – we will try to visualise the network of Katowice’s culture creators. Particular consideration will be given to the activity of entities and organisations operating on the internet, as this often escapes the attention of mainstream researchers and media. This study is based on data obtained from the Web and especially from social media sites.

Where do cultural event participants come from?

Where do the participants of the city’s concerts, festivals, meetings, discussions and workshops come from? How many Katowice residents participate in the events and which localities do they come from? Are the events easily accessible by public transport? What means of transport are used to get to the event venues? Answers to these questions will allow us to find out the reach of individual institutions (district, citywide, metropolitan, supraregional), as well as the extent to which they are accessible to all residents. In this part of the study we use data on participants’ places of residence obtained through surveys, as well as data on public transport in the city.

How do cultural event participants energise the city centre?

We are interested to find out if, and to what extent, events goers enliven the city centre. Do they come specifically to take part in the event, or go after work or while running errands in Katowice? How do they move around the city? How much money do they spend? Do they visit the pubs and restaurants, or just go for a walk in the city’s public spaces? Do the visitors to Katowice’s culture zone call in at the centre, or simply return to their homes? In order to answer these questions, we collect data through surveys and would welcome some focus studies to enhance their results.

What have been Katowice’s top events in recent years?

In this part of the study, we will try to determine the dynamics of Katowice’s cultural life since the city entered a bid for European Capital of Culture 2016. By developing web-based data, we set out to examine what have been some of the most important events and trends within that period. The summer music festivals? The revamping of Mariacka Street? Or, maybe, the opening of the Silesian Museum and concerts in the culture zone? We hope to be able to find out that and more as we explore data from online news and social media services.

How do web users help create a new image of the city?

How do web users harness social media to create modern urban identities based on local heritage, such as stories of compelling interest to local communities or living industrial traditions? Using web-based data, we strive to examine how various local enthusiasts build a new mythology of Katowice by publishing photographs of city life, archival materials, photos of neon signs, architectural landmarks etc. Our research will be based on data acquired from social media, including Facebook and Instagram. We might also attempt a more detailed study of the most active content creators.

Data acquired so far

The following table below lists the most important data sets that will be used during the study. In most cases, we only provide previews of the content we have available.