Research Hotspots and Evolution Process of Digital Life: A Bibliometric Analysis based on Citespace

Abstract Background By integrating life science and digital technology, digital life provides a new path and support for understanding the essence of life, advancing precision medicine, and enhancing health management. However, the existing studies have largely focused on specific applications or single perspectives, and systematic reviews of the overall evolutionary trajectory and frontier trends of digital life research is still insufficient. Purpose Based on bibliometric methods, this study deeply analyzes the research hotspots and evolution trends of digital life research, with the aim of providing valuable references and clearer directions for future theoretical development and empirical inquiry in this field. Methods Based on the 658 relevant literature retrieved and selected from the Web of Science core collection database from 2010 to 2025, this study utilizes CiteSpace version 5.5.R2 to generate annual publication trends, co-authorship network knowledge map, co-occurrence network knowledge map of keywords, keyword clustering knowledge map, keyword burst knowledge map, and comprehensively explore research hotspots and developmental trend of digital life research. Results The attention of digital life research continues to increase, and the topics of concern are becoming more and more extensive. The number of studies on digital life is increasing year by year. The results of co-authorship network knowledge map show that Stuart, Yardley, Zhao, Wang have published a large number of articles, and most authors in this field engage in collaborative research. The results of co-occurrence network knowledge map of keywords indicate that digital life research mainly focuses on four aspects: Digital health, quality of life, digital technology, and mental health. The results of keyword clustering show that the keywords of digital life research generate 7 clusters. From the perspective of research frontiers, burst words such as digital media, Internet and family have a longer duration, burst words such as Internet, design and model have a higher burst intensity. In recent years, hot topics such as adolescent and mental health have been continuously concerned. Conclusions At present, digital life research has made significant progress, with a steady increase in publications and a growing richness in research content. Collaborative research involving multiple authors and interdisciplinary groups is becoming the mainstream model in this rapidly evolving field. Future research may further strengthen theoretical integration and method innovation, and deepen systematic investigations into the complex relationship between digital technology and individual quality of life, mental health, and social structures.