Museums for many years have been the places of knowledge and cultural exchange. Nowadays there are more and more resources on the Internet and museums will not be needed in the future. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

 It goes without saying that the Internet is one of the most ground-breaking breakthrough of the 20^th century, intruding into all corners of life. Many people, therefore, claim that with the increasing prevalence of the net, the fate of museums will come to an end. However, this conception doesnot sound quite likely for several reasons.

The Internet admittedly offers efficient and convenient solutions for acquiring knowledge and cultural information. Just at a click away, access to a variety of artworks, artifacts which are displaying in different museums or even belonging to personal collection can be achieved. Not to mention most of them are free of charge and all people need is a connected computer, which makes them accessible for people from all works of life. This, therefore, is very likely to foster artistic taste of the public.

Despite all these blessings of the net, museums would never cease to exist. Firstly, there is a fact which is generally acknowledged is that a picture, a video or a caption hardly convey fully messages and originalities of an exhibit. For instance, thousands of men have been charmed by Mona Lisa’s smile when they see the picture of Mona Lisa in museums, but not on the Internet. Similarly, only when they see authentic mummies, can people feel sacrosanct. Secondly, another crucial function of museums is to protect, preserve and augment cultural treasures; these buildings, therefore, will not disappear unless people abandon their culture.

To conclude, although the Internet provides a suitable and comfortable manner to watch exhibitions, museums are still necessary because of its functions in educational and cultural aspects.

P/S : It's really tough question for me. Actually, I think essays related to museum are quite difficult to write, so every members feel free to add your comments. Thanks in advance!