Digital Advocacy and Invisible Archives: Discoverability in Biodiversity Knowledge Systems - The Case of David Attenborough

Abstract

Digitisation is often framed as a technical solution for preservation and access; however, this paper argues that it should be understood as a form of advocacy that actively shapes visibility, interpretation, and authority in archival contexts. Drawing on scholarship in digital history, community archives, and activist archiving, it introduces the concept of “invisible archives” and adopts a conceptual, example-driven approach, examining cases such as the Digital Archives and Marginalized Communities project to analyse selection, metadata, and interface design. The paper finds that digitisation practices—what is selected, how it is described, and how it is presented—can reinforce or challenge existing hierarchies, with metadata, multilingual description, and interface design playing a crucial role in discoverability and representation, and access models shaping engagement. As a primarily conceptual study, it highlights the need for further empirical and user-focused research. It proposes an advocacy-oriented framework grounded in intentional selection, community-informed metadata, and context-sensitive design, and underscores how such approaches can support more inclusive and equitable knowledge systems while addressing ethical concerns around access and consent. By reframing digitisation as an active site of advocacy and introducing “invisible archives” as a critical lens, the paper contributes a new perspective to discussions on digital archives.