Author keyword occurrence and trends in digital media research: A bibliometric study

Purpose This study aims to map the intellectual landscape of digital media research by analysing the occurrence of author keywords, factorial analysis of author keywords, and tracing trend topics from 2000 to 2024. Methods Data were retrieved from the Web of Science database using the search query Title = “Digital Media,” limited to the period 2000–2024. The final dataset comprised 3,817 documents. Bibliometric tools Biblioshiny and VOSviewer were used in the study. Findings The findings show sustained growth in digital media scholarship, with annual publications rising from fewer than 30 in the early 2000s to nearly 500 in 2024. Author keyword analysis uncovers multiple interconnected clusters, including socio-political discourse (democracy, activism, misinformation, identity), changes in journalism and media systems, technological integration (AI, VR, machine learning), affective and cultural aspects, youth and mental health, digital transformation in health, education, and the economy, as well as inequalities in access and participation. Factorial and trend analyses indicate a shift from early work on new media and blogs to social media, platform governance, mental health, Covid-19, digital literacy, and applied fields such as SMEs and tourism.