Current sociological aspects of museum communication

The paper examines the main communicative tasks of a museum as a social institution, determined by the processes of cultural globalization, demographic changes, the emergence of new Internet technologies and leisure practices. The role of the generational group of the elderly in the preservation of intangible cultural heritage is described. The directions of museum activities in the communicative space are analyzed, as well as the relevance of certain skills and competences is substantiated, and a differentiated description of social museum practices that require consideration of social characteristics of the audience is given. The lack of primary sociological data that would allow for more effective museum communication in a structurally diverse society and highly dynamic socio-cultural processes is acknowledged. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the systematization of the topical areas of interaction between the museum community and visitors in modern conditions. Therefore, the conclusion is drawn that there is a necessity for a substantive sociological study of the social characteristics acting as factors in the differentiation of museum audiences.