Boudewien Chalmers Hoynck van Papendrecht

Boudewien Chalmers Hoynck van Papendrecht is an applied psychologist and social media strategist.
She has run social media communities larger than 9.5 million on behalf of the Van Gogh Museum, creating one of the most engaged fanbases in the museum world.

In 2021 she founded Bubble Shooters Network, a boutique agency working with leading institutions across the art world. Rooted in the belief that art, heritage, and culture matter most when they spark emotions, Bubble Shooters Network focuses on creating experiences that make art felt, not just seen. Their work bridges online and physical spaces – the museum and the “third location” of social media – helping organisations connect short lived online engagement and physical interaction to create impactful emotional experiences with art.

Boudewien Chalmers Hoynck van Papendrecht will be speaking at the Museums & Social Media Summit 2025 :

Shift from output to outcome

Museums are not just physical spaces that people visit. They also exist and engage online. Social media is our “third location”. This statement by John Giurini, Assistant Director for Public Affairs at J. Paul Getty Museum at Communicating the Arts 2025 reflects social media’s significance in outreach and accessibility.

Yes, social media has transformed how institutions communicate and track impact. But in the past years we have seen a surge in platforms; TikTok, Substack, Threads, Snapchat, name it. Add to that the advice from trend reports, such as Hootsuite’s on posting frequency which adds up to 34–59 posts a week. Clearly, this isn’t realistic – even for the most resourceful museum social media manager.

It’s time to shift focus from output to outcome: how can museums truly make an impact on social media, while staying realistic about day-to-day capacity?

In this presentation, I will explore what meaningful outcomes look like in this “third location” and how to measure them over the long term, beyond the chase for things like post frequency.

I’ll share 2–3 case studies, ranging from simple, resource-light formats that proved highly effective to broader strategic visions. Along the way, I’ll pose critical questions: what do we really want from social media? And how can we make sure that the outcomes align with

institutional priorities such as increasing museum visits, accessibility, inclusion and visitor engagement?

With this talk I give both practical tools for the social media manager, as inspiring food for thought for the head of departments.