My PhD research focusses on how collecting and displaying non-traditional objects, specifically social media, enables museums to engage with their audiences on topics of democracy, critical thinking, and anti-populism. Through interviews and observation of UK museums, I’m studying how the contemporary political climate is changing the way that museums operate and collect. I’m focussing on what new, non-traditional types of objects museums are beginning to acquire, in particular social media. These types of objects might be referred to as “difficult” objects because they have no edges, or boundaries for collection, they do not conform to classical collections standards or protocols, and they come with lots of extra baggage like multiple owners and makers, metadata and personal information. How can these "difficult” objects be used by museums to respond to the challenging and controversial political climate of ‘culture wars’ both on and offline?