For many brands, user generated content can seem risky for a number of reasons, first and foremost because brand owners fear the loss of control over what people will post. But user generated content for museums, at least in the form of selfies and other visitor photos, is being embraced and harnessed by curators and marketing departments all over the country.

At the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, they’ve actually created more exciting photo opps (i.e. green screens that enable you to pose next to fire-breathing dragons) to encourage visitors to take photos of themselves. It’s a smart way to generate online buzz.

In California, art museums like the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art are dropping their old “no photos please” policies and beginning to make visitors feel more comfortable taking photos of themselves. The “Levitated Mass” exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has even become a sort of social media celebrity:

‘The Boulder Holder’ pose, a selfie that museum-goers take with artist Michael Heizer’s ‘Levitated Mass’ sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is so popular that by one estimate, Instagram photos of the artwork using the #lacma hashtag potentially reach 175,000 people a week.

You may think this is a play for the loyalty of millennials, many of whom believe the selfie is itself an art form. And you’d be correct. At least that seems to be the intent. But by aiming for the 20-somethings, you can reach a much wider audience. The fact is that Boomers and Gen Xers are actually even more likely to share images online than Millennials, even if by a small percentage.

Anecdotally, my (mostly Gen X) peers and I share ridiculous amounts of photos of our children, often mentioning, hashtagging, or otherwise indicating wherever we happen to be at the time. If it’s an interesting photo and the place is not mentioned, you can pretty much bet someone will ask where you are.

Museums and other cultural attractions can capitalize on Gen X child worship and Millennial self-worship by creating and managing photo opportunities within their exhibits and ultimately generating large amounts of positive buzz online. Your attraction might be just one fire-breathing dragon or “Levitating Mass” away from inspiring the next horde of visitors to come through your gates.