A few months ago, I was lucky enough to have the incredible experience of studying abroad in London. Being from a country as young as the United States, I had never stepped foot somewhere with as much history as the Tower of London.
While touring the Tower, I noted the wide variety of people who made up the larger group of tourists. People from literally all over the world come to explore the historic fortress. It is safe to say that within such a large group, one can find people both highly intelligent as well as people who are not. Because of this fact, those who created and continue to develop the exhibitions at the tower must find a way to cater to a wide variety of people’s needs. As people who are smart can easily understand things below their intelligence level, while people with a less-than-average intellect cannot easily understand things above their intelligence level, many of the Tower of London’s exhibitions have been dumbed down so it could be understood by everyone.
There were many instances throughout my visit in which I felt as though I was being given information in a very filtered and simplified manner. For example, although I personally did not join a tour group as I wanted to explore on my own and at my own pace as much as possible, I passed one and momentarily stopped in time to overhear a guide explaining that crows were used to carry messages because “people used to write letters to one another.” Whether the guide meant to ridicule a group of technologically savvy students, make a joke or literally explain such an obvious fact, I was definitely not impressed with such a comment.
Another example of a way in which the setup of the Tower was catered to an extremely passive group of tourists was the way that technology was incorporated in the tour. Although impressive and interesting, I found the technological aspect of the tour was completely unnecessary. In nearly every room that was accessible to the public, there was at least one large screen showing different presentations or movies about something slightly related to the Tower. While some of the information on these screens was interesting and informative, most seemed out of place. It seemed as though most of the technology involved was simply there for a wow factor in order to distract people and make them “ooh” and “aww” over the innovative technology.
Personally, I would much rather visit a place like the Tower of London without being distracted with modern technology. The Tower of London is such an historical site, and I would much rather have been immersed in a more modest atmosphere. Perhaps it it is just because I am so fond of history and learning about how everyday life was carried out hundreds of years ago, but I would have prefered to see a much more authentically preserved historical building than one that has had to be rewired to make way for flashy, electronic presentations.
Despite how tourists are depicted and thought of as a group, there is no denying that the Tower still made for an wonderful experience. Although the tour guides seemed a bit patronizing and the technology incorporated seemed to be spelling every little thing out for the visitors, that does not change the fact that I was able to stand in a spot that has been unfathomably important throughout history. That in itself made the trip completely worth it.
