The virtual identity and global epistemic inequality on social media: a reflective bibliometric analysis

This study investigates global knowledge production on virtual identity in social media and examines how epistemic dominance shapes the field. Virtual identity is selected because it shows how selfhood emerges through socio-technical arrangements and platform governance. The data set comprises 534 Scopus-indexed articles published between 2001 and 2025. The researcher uses reflective–critical bibliometrics and digital anthropology to analyse epistemic structures. VOSviewer maps keyword clusters, co-citation patterns, co-authorship networks and geographical distributions. The findings show that Global North institutions hold substantial conceptual authority, while Global South scholars often provide empirical content without equivalent theoretical visibility. The analysis identifies five developmental phases, ranging from technocratic orientations to reflective–decolonial approaches. Six thematic groups illustrate epistemic polarisation between algorithmic framings and perspectives emphasising situated agency. The results also show how reflective bibliometrics can adopt decolonial role by revealing embedded power structures. Theoretically, this analysis advances the conceptualisation of virtual identity in social media as a socio-technical and epistemic phenomenon shaped by global power. The study clarifies virtual identity through four dimensions: construction, performance, regulation and stratification. Methodologically, it demonstrates how reflective bibliometrics can expose structural inequalities in digital scholarship. Practically, the findings encourage inclusive citation practices and collaborative authorship to enhance the visibility of marginalised scholars.