Research trends of digital platforms: A survey of the literature from 2018 to 2021

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a vigorous discussion about digital platforms due to their emerging significance in the digital ecosystem. However, despite common interests in the digital platform, comprehensive literature reviews on the topic are still limited. Therefore, this study offers a systematic and interdisciplinary review of the literature on digital platforms by collecting and analyzing a sample of 1,224 articles published from January 2018 to December 2021. In particular, this study focuses on which country leads platform research. By interpreting the concentration of research fields that study platforms and financial funding for platform research, this article provides a new perspective on the countries leading academic platform research. Our findings show that those holding platform hegemony in the real world are also active leaders in platform research. Amid fierce competition among major countries and continents surrounding the platform industry, this paper aims to provide an understanding of the ongoing research trend regarding platforms and be a guideline for future research.