Social Media as a Catalyst for Digital Entrepreneurship: A Scientometric Review and Visualization Using Citespace, VOSviewer and Biblioshiny

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56294/hl2025694

Keywords:

Digital Entrepreneurship, Social Media, Bibliometric Analysis, Biblioshiny, VOSviewer, Citespace

Abstract

The intersection of social media and digital entrepreneurship has emerged as a significant area of academic inquiry, especially in the context of accelerated digital transformation. This study presents a comprehensive scientometric review of scholarly research exploring how social media platforms act as catalysts for digital entrepreneurial activity. Drawing on 282 peer-reviewed publications from the Scopus database spanning 2012 to 2025, the analysis employs three powerful bibliometric tools—Biblioshiny, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace—to uncover trends in authorship, thematic evolution, co-citation networks, and global research collaborations. The findings reveal a robust annual growth rate in publications (21,06 %), with key themes including digital marketing, innovation, platform-based business models, and influencer-driven entrepreneurship. Co-occurrence and thematic mapping indicate a shift from general discussions on digital platforms to more specialized concerns such as entrepreneurial passion, digital transformation, and AI integration. The analysis also identifies leading contributors, core publication sources, and country-level research output, highlighting strong participation from both developed and emerging economies. This review not only maps the intellectual structure of the field but also identifies critical research gaps and practical implications for policymakers, educators, and practitioners seeking to foster sustainable and inclusive digital entrepreneurial ecosystems.

References

1. Olanrewaju A-ST, Hossain MA, Whiteside N, Mercieca P. Social media and entrepreneurship research: A literature review. Int J Inf Manag. 2020;50:90–110. doi: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.05.011.

2. Muller E, Peres R. The effect of social networks structure on innovation performance: A review and directions for research. Int J Res Mark. 2019;36:3–19. doi: 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2018.05.003.

3. Le TT, Chakrabarti S. Social media and business innovation capabilities toward enhancing firm’s performance: an empirical research from environmental quality approach. Manag Environ Qual Int J. 2023;ahead-of-print. doi: 10.1108/MEQ-01-2023-0031.

4. Sawy A, Bögenhold D. Small Business Owners and Social Media Behavior: How Entrepreneurs Use and are Used by New Digital Platforms. In: Ratten V, Jones P, Braga V, Parra-López E, editors. Artis Entrep. Emerald Publishing Limited; 2022. p. 33–45. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-077-120221004.

5. Nikou S, Brännback ME, Orrensalo TP, Widén G. Social MediaSocial media and EntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship: Exploring the Role of Digital Source SelectionDigital source selection and Information LiteracyInformation literacy. In: Schjoedt L, Brännback ME, Carsrud AL, editors. Underst Soc Media Entrep Bus Hashtags Tweets Stories . Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2020. p. 29–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43453-3_3.

6. Blank G, Lutz C. Representativeness of Social Media in Great Britain: Investigating Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram. Am Behav Sci. 2017;61:741–756. doi: 10.1177/0002764217717559.

7. Bashar Kahil. Digital Entrepreneurship Success: Role of Social Media and Government Support. J Digit Inf Syst. 2024;4:1–14. doi: 10.54433/JDIIS.2024100034.

8. Lupa-Wójcik I. The Role of Social Media in Entrepreneurship: a Conceptual Case Study. Przedsiębiorczość - Eduk. 2020;16:176–188. doi: 10.24917/20833296.162.14.

9. Chaker H, Zouaoui S. Meeting the Challenge of Entrepreneurship with Social Media: The Case of Tunisian Women Entrepreneurs. J Entrep Innov Emerg Econ. 2023;9:33–61. doi: 10.1177/23939575221138439.

10. Erpe T, Kotnik P. The Why and How of Social Media Entrepreneurs. J Enterprising Cult. 2022;30:431–451. doi: 10.1142/S0218495822500145.

11. Chakraborty U, Biswal SK. Impact of social media participation on female entrepreneurs towards their digital entrepreneurship intention and psychological empowerment. J Res Mark Entrep. 2023;25:374–392. doi: 10.1108/JRME-03-2021-0028.

12. Luo C. Analyzing the impact of social networks and social behavior on electronic business during COVID-19 pandemic. Inf Process Manag. 2021;58:102667. doi: 10.1016/j.ipm.2021.102667.

13. Ruswaji R, Herlina N, Hidayatin DA, Sulaeman MM, Wibowo SN. Stimulating Awareness and Entrepreneurial Skills of Students through the Strong Role of Social Media: A Motivation for Growth and Innovation. Technol Soc Perspect TACIT. 2024;2:158–164. doi: 10.61100/tacit.v2i1.142.

14. John J, Joseph J, Mathew L, James S, Jose J. Exploring the Predictive Analytics Frontier in Business: A Bibliometric Journey. J Scientometr Res. 2024;13:365–381. doi: 10.5530/jscires.13.2.29.

15. Agac G, Sevim F, Celik O, Bostan S, Erdem R, Yalcin YI. Research hotspots, trends and opportunities on the metaverse in health education: a bibliometric analysis. Libr Hi Tech. 2023; doi: 10.1108/LHT-04-2023-0168.

16. Al Rousan R, Khasawneh N. Mapping 30 years of tourism and hospitality research in the Arab world: a review based on bibliometric analysis. Tour Rev. 2024;79:1280–1298. doi: 10.1108/TR-04-2023-0201.

17. Joseph J, Kartheeban K. Visualizing the Impact of Machine Learning on Cardiovascular Disease Prediction: A Comprehensive Analysis of Research Trends. Sci Vis. 2024;16:1–21. doi: 10.26583/sv.16.5.01.

18. Arruda H, Silva ER, Lessa M, Proença Jr D, Bartholo R. VOSviewer and bibliometrix. J Med Libr Assoc JMLA. 2022;110:392.

19. Calof J, Søilen KS, Klavans R, Abdulkader B, Moudni IE. Understanding the structure, characteristics, and future of collective intelligence using local and global bibliometric analyses. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2022;178:121561. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121561.

20. Joseph J, Jose J, Jose AS, Ettaniyil GG, Cyriac J, Sebastian SK, Joseph AP. Quantitative insights into outcome-based education: a bibliometric exploration. Int J Eval Res Educ IJERE. 2024;13:4030. doi: 10.11591/ijere.v13i6.29272.

21. Guleria D, Kaur G. Bibliometric analysis of ecopreneurship using VOSviewer and RStudio Bibliometrix, 1989–2019. Libr Hi Tech. 2021;39:1001–1024. doi: 10.1108/LHT-09-2020-0218.

22. Racine J. RStudio: a platform-independent IDE for R and Sweave. J Appl Econom. 2012;27. doi: 10.2307/41337225.

23. Cherian S, Joseph J, Thomas B, Jose J. Navigating the New Normal: A Bibliometric Analysis of Masked Face Recognition Research Using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny.

24. Devaki V, Ramganesh DE, Amutha DS. Bibliometric Analysis on Metacognition and Self-Regulation Using Biblioshiny Software. Indian J Inf Sources Serv. 2024;14:115–125. doi: 10.51983/ijiss-2024.14.2.17.

25. Thangavel P, Chandra B. Two decades of M-commerce consumer research: A bibliometric analysis using R biblioshiny. Sustainability. 2023;15:11835.

26. van Eck NJ, Waltman L. Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics. 2010;84:523–538. doi: 10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3.

27. Yu Y, Li Y, Zhang Z, Gu Z, Zhong H, Zha Q, Yang L, Zhu C, Chen E. A bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer of publications on COVID-19. Ann Transl Med. 2020;8:816–816. doi: 10.21037/atm-20-4235.

28. Joseph J, Thomas B, Jose J, Pathak N. Decoding the growth of multimodal learning: A bibliometric exploration of its impact and influence. Int Dec Tech. 2024;18:151–167. doi: 10.3233/IDT-230727.

29. Lukose A, John J, Joseph D, Joseph J. The Rise of Open Banking: A Comprehensive Analysis of Research Trends and Collaborative Networks. Int J Econ Financ Issues. 2024;15:295–307. doi: 10.32479/ijefi.17407.

30. Thomas B, Joseph J, Jose J. Explorative Bibliometric Study of Medical Image Analysis: Unveiling Trends and Advancements. Sci Vis. 2023;15:35–49. doi: 10.26583/sv.15.5.04.

31. Joseph J, Jose J, Jose AS, Ettaniyil GG, Nair SV. A scientometric analysis of bibliotherapy: mapping the research landscape. Libr Hi Tech [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Oct 9];ahead-of-print. doi: 10.1108/LHT-08-2023-0341.

32. Sun W, Song J, Dong X, Kang X, He B, Zhao W, Li Z, Feng Z, Chen X. Bibliometric and visual analysis of transcranial direct current stimulation in the web of science database from 2000 to 2022 via CiteSpace. Front Hum Neurosci. 2022;16. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1049572.

33. Zhang J, Quoquab F, Mohammad J. Plastic and sustainability: a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Arab Gulf J Sci Res. 2024;42:44–67. doi: 10.1108/AGJSR-10-2022-0225.

34. Synnestvedt M, Chen C, Holmes J. CiteSpace II: Visualization and Knowledge Discovery in Bibliographic Databases. AMIA Annu Symp Proc AMIA Symp AMIA Symp. 2005;2005:724–728.

35. Geng Y, Zhang X, Gao J, Yan Y, Chen L. Bibliometric analysis of sustainable tourism using CiteSpace. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2024;202:123310. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123310.

Downloads

Published

2025-08-09

How to Cite

1.
Thomas T, Suresh TS, Simon B, Mathew J, R Menon R, Jose J. Social Media as a Catalyst for Digital Entrepreneurship: A Scientometric Review and Visualization Using Citespace, VOSviewer and Biblioshiny. Health Leadership and Quality of Life [Internet]. 2025 Aug. 9 [cited 2025 Aug. 30];4:694. Available from: https://hl.ageditor.ar/index.php/hl/article/view/694