A comparative analysis of digital archival practices in health crisis management between the 1918 Spanish flu and COVID-19 pandemics

The study explores the dynamics of health advisories and responses during health emergencies and their effectiveness. This study also analyzes the role of digital archives in crisis management and why these archives chose specific photographs, offering light on how archival decisions shape historical narratives. This paper employs a two-stage research method, including a semi-systematic review of 23 articles and a visual rhetorical analysis, to collect documents or photographs from Texas Woman's University's National Archives and Digital Collections on two significant health crises collections: the 1918 Spanish flu and COVID-19. The semi-systematic reviews found 23 articles that provide a clear indication of how public health agencies effectively provide health advisories and how different social and cultural groups, including ethnic minority and migrant women, respond to health crises and are impacted unevenly. The review also underscores significant rhetorical practices in media, using different communication methods and terminologies, while emphasizing the enduring role of archival practices in preserving and analyzing records during pandemics. Visual rhetorical analysis also reveals how pandemic representation and public perception have evolved over the century, influenced by digital archives. In addition, while photographs from both pandemics underscore the risks of mass gatherings, the analysis also shows how societal priorities, such as patriotism or social justice, outweighed health concerns, demonstrating the enduring tension between public health and collective societal actions. Furthermore, the analysis reveals how technological advancements have transformed communication strategies over time. This study concludes that digital archival collections not only preserve history but also provide practical insights for pandemic management, highlighting the dynamic interplay of societal, technological, and health narratives over time.