Beyond the Photograph: The Eiffel Tower, Open Knowledge, and Human Experiences

One of the highlights of my Wikimania experience was taking an evening to visit the Eiffel Tower. Standing there and seeing the Eiffel Tower in all its glory felt surreal. I had seen countless pictures and videos of it before, but being physically present was a completely different experience. There is something special about encountering a place, an artefact, or a cultural moment in real life. Being physically present allows us to experience the atmosphere, emotions, and unexpected moments that surround it.

At the same time, not everyone will have the opportunity to visit every museum, landmark, or cultural site in person. This is where digitisation plays an important role. It creates pathways for more people to discover, learn, and connect with culture in ways that may not have been possible before.

This thought stayed with me as I reflected on the growing movement to digitise culture and knowledge. Museums, archives, libraries, and cultural institutions around the world are increasingly making collections available online, allowing people across the globe to discover histories, artworks, traditions, and stories that they may never have encountered otherwise. However, as conversations around digitising culture continue, questions have also emerged about ownership, sustainability, and who benefits from making cultural resources available online.Some people worry that digitising cultural heritage could reduce visits to museums or allow others to benefit financially from cultural resources without adequately supporting the institutions and communities that preserve them.

I see it differently.

Digitisation can create visibility, and visibility can create curiosity. A person may first discover a cultural object, historical site, or tradition through a digital platform. That discovery may inspire them to learn more, visit the location, support the institution, or engage with the community connected to that heritage.

My visit to the Eiffel Tower was a reminder of this relationship between digital discovery and physical experience.

While I went there to see one of the world’s most recognisable landmarks, I experienced something completely unexpected. I witnessed a proposal taking place. It was my first time seeing a proposal happen in person. My married friends usually only tell me about their proposals after they have happened, so most of my experience has been hearing these stories rather than actually being present for the moment. Seeing the preparation, the excitement, and the emotions unfold in front of me was something special. There were also live performances, people gathering, and countless small moments happening around the tower.

These are the kinds of experiences that cannot simply be uploaded or replicated online. A photograph can capture what a place looks like, but it cannot always capture the atmosphere, the emotions, or the unexpected stories that happen around it.

At the same time, our efforts to digitise culture and expand access to knowledge must come with responsibility.

While standing at the Eiffel Tower, I asked a fellow Wikimedian a question. I wanted to know whether he was familiar with the copyright considerations around photographing the Eiffel Tower at night.

I asked him:

“If I take a picture of the Eiffel Tower at night and upload it on Instagram, have I violated copyright?”

His answer was yes. He then went on to explain why.

The Eiffel Tower itself is in the public domain because its original copyright protection has expired. However, the artistic lighting display that illuminates the tower at night has copyright considerations under French law.

This conversation was a good reminder that documenting and sharing culture involves more than simply capturing beautiful images. It also requires understanding the rights, permissions, and responsibilities connected to those images.

This is why licences matter in the world of open knowledge.

Open access does not always mean that every resource can be reused without conditions. Many cultural institutions and creators share materials under licences such as Creative Commons licences, which allow reuse under specific terms, including proper attribution. Other materials may have different restrictions depending on ownership and copyright status.

As users and consumers of digital cultural resources, we have a responsibility to respect these conditions.

Beyond simply following legal requirements, we should also think about how we can support the people and institutions that preserve cultural knowledge. If digital resources inspire research, creativity, education, or even commercial opportunities, there are many ways to give back. This could include donations, partnerships, volunteering, or amplifying the work of museums, archives, and cultural communities.

Digitising culture does not take away the magic of experiencing it in person.

Instead, it creates more opportunities for people to discover, learn, and connect.

Someone may first encounter the Eiffel Tower through a photograph online. That image may inspire them to visit one day. And when they arrive, they may discover not only the monument itself, but also the unexpected human stories, emotions, and experiences that exist around it.

That is the beauty of culture. It is not only what we preserve and share digitally. It is also what we experience, participate in, and pass on.