Unveiling the landscape of social media marketing in social science studies: A bibliometric analysis using VosViewer and Biblioshiny

Abstract

In recent years, social media marketing has evolved into a ubiquitous phenomenon, influencing the dynamics of business-consumer relationships and becoming an indispensable facet of modern marketing strategies. This positive trend led to a growing number of publications in the field of social media marketing, especially in social science studies. Thus, it is impeccable for the researcher to study this particular matter. The objective of this study is to identify the pattern of past research on social media marketing in social science studies, specifically its research status and the most up-to-date (emerging) topics in this field. This research offers a visual analysis of 1747 research articles listed in the Scopus database in the years 2009–2023. The bibliometric analysis using VosViewer and Biblioshiny presents the current research status, including annual scientific production, most cited articles, most cited authors, most active source title, co-authorship analysis, co-occurrence analysis and co-citation analysis on social media marketing in social science studies. The outcomes of this study are expected to benefit researchers specializing in consumer behaviour by offering them insights into the current research landscape and serving as a valuable reference for future investigations.