TRENDS IN DIGITAL JOURNALISM RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA ERA: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE SCOPUS DATABASE FOR THE PERIOD 2012–2026

Authors

  • Kinanti Putri Rudiana Universitas Padjadjaran
  • Dian Wardiana Sjuchro Universitas Padjadjaran
  • Efi Fadilah Universitas Padjadjaran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36526/sosioedukasi.v15i3.9242

Keywords:

Bibliometric, Digital Journalism, Journalism

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the developmental dynamics of digital journalism research indexed in the Scopus database from 2012 to 2026. Specifically, it analyzes publication trends, influential authors, highly cited articles, and thematic developments to provide a comprehensive overview of the intellectual structure of digital journalism research. This study employed a bibliometric analysis using data retrieved from the Scopus database. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis using data from the Scopus database. An initial search identified 5,293 documents and a systematic selection process based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria yielded a final dataset of 1,139 journal articles.. The data were analyzed using Biblioshiny to examine publication growth, citation performance, author productivity, and keyword co-occurrence networks. The findings reveal that digital journalism research has experienced a significant annual growth rate of 14.39%, indicating increasing scholarly interest in journalism within the context of social media and digital platforms. The analysis also identifies four major thematic clusters, with social media, news sharing, and platformization emerging as dominant research themes. In addition, platformization, artificial intelligence, and journalism sustainability represent promising directions for future research. This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric overview of digital journalism research and serves as a valuable reference for future work on journalism, digital platforms, and the transformation of the media ecosystem.

References

Alberto, A.-A., & Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2017). Effects of Editorial Media Bias Perception and Media Trust on the Use of Traditional, Citizen, and Social Media News. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 94(3), 703–724. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699016654684

Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). Bibliometrix : An R-tool for Comprehensive Science Mapping Analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007

Baas, I. M., Broersma, M., Caselli, T., & Esteve Del Valle, M. (2025). Who is sharing the news? Identity construction of news sharers on Dutch language Twitter. First Monday. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v30i5.13789

Bora, A. (2012). Journalism in the 21st century world - Tackling challenges. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 3(1), 393–400. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2012.03.01.393

Callon, M., Courtial, J.-P., Turner, W. A., & Bauin, S. (1983). From translations to problematic networks: An introduction to co-word analysis. Social Science Information, 22(2), 191–235. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901883022002003

Cheng, Z., Goyanes, M., & Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2025). Exploring the Direct and Indirect Effects of Traditional and Social Media News Use on Media Trust and Journalism Error Tolerance. Digital Journalism, 13(7), 1229–1248. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2025.2457362

Chiridza, P., & Mare, A. (2026). Digital platforms and revenue generation strategies adopted by Zimbabwean mainstream news publishers. Journalism, 27(4), 803–823. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849251343545

Coddington, M. (2015). Clarifying Journalism’s Quantitative Turn. Digital Journalism, 3(3), 331–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2014.976400

Fadhillah, N., Sumartias, S., & Koswara, A. (2025). Strategic Communication in Public Relations Practices: A Bibliometric Analysis Based on Scopus Database from 2015 to 2025. INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication), 10(2), 1037–1068. https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v10i2.5871

Flaounas, I., Ali, O., Lansdall-Welfare, T., De Bie, T., Mosdell, N., Lewis, J., & Cristianini, N. (2013). Research Methods in The Age of Digital Journalism. Digital Journalism, 1(1), 102–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2012.714928

Hussain, M. M. (2012). Journalism’s digital disconnect: The growth of campaign content and entertainment gatekeepers in viral political information. Journalism, 13(8), 1024–1040. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884911433253

Ihm, J., & Kim, E. (2025a). My news, your news, and our news: Self-presentational motivations and three levels of issue relevance in news sharing on social media. New Media & Society, 27(8), 4643–4666. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241237487

Ihm, J., & Kim, E. (2025b). Why Do News Sharers Choose Not to Share News? A Self-Presentation Model of Deliberate News Withholding on Social Media. Social Media + Society, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251385441

Khoiriyah, Z. A., Suryadi, K., Iswandi, D., & Sapriya. (2026). Citizen Journalism and The Transformation of Civic Engagement Practices in The Political Space on Social Media. Sosioedukasi:Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan Dan Sosial, 15(2), 3221–3229. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36526/sosioedukasi.v15i2.8295

Kong, W., Kim, S. J., & Chung, Y. (2025). Impact of multi-platform social media news use on civic participation: the mediating role of news engagement and the moderated mediation effect of news trust. Asian Journal of Communication, 35(2), 100–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/01292986.2025.2460423

Kümpel, A. S., Karnowski, V., & Keyling, T. (2015). News Sharing in Social Media: A Review of Current Research on News Sharing Users, Content, and Networks. Social Media + Society, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305115610141

Lischka, J. A. (2021). Logics in Social Media News Making: How Social Media Editors Marry the Facebook Logic with Journalistic Standards. Journalism, 22(2), 430–447. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884918788472

Luo, Y., & Fang, K. (2025). Transnational Citizen Journalism for Resistance and Solidarity: The Case of a Sinophone Community on Instagram. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 30(2), 462–483. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241291812

Luttrell, R., Davis, J., & Welch, C. (2026). Social Media Semantics: Enhancing Manipulated Media Detection Through An Artificial Intelligence Weakness. Electronic News, 20(1), 24–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/19312431251355220

Newman, N., Fletcher, R., Eddy, K., Robertson, C. T., & Kleis Nielsen, R. (2023). Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023: Key Trends and Findings, Reuters Institute. https://doi.org/10.60625/risj-p6es-hb13

Pavlik, J. V. (1997). The Future of on Line Journalism. Columbisa Journalism Review, 36, 30–31.

Perreault, G. P., & Ferrucci, P. (2020). What Is Digital Journalism? Defining the Practice and Role of the Digital Journalist. Digital Journalism, 8(10), 1298–1316. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2020.1848442

Poell, T., Nieborg, D., & van Dijck, J. (2019). Platformisation. Internet Policy Review, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.14763/2019.4.1425

Safitri, A. N., Anwar, R. K., Winoto, Y., Damayani, N. A., & Kusnandar, K. (2025). A Bibliometric Analysis of Cross-Cultural Communication on Digital Platforms: Mapping Collaboration, Citations, and Research Themes. Nyimak: Journal of Communication, 9(1), 120. https://doi.org/10.31000/nyimak.v9i1.12968

Sang, Y., Lee, N. Y., & Park, S. (2025). Looking Back at Journalism Ethics Research Over the Past Decade: An Analysis of Research in Digital Journalism, Journalism, Journalism Practice, and Journalism Studies, 2013-2022. Journalism, 26(2), 365–386. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849241244712

Santos, P., & Mare, A. (2021). The Reconfiguration of News Work in Southern Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Digital Journalism, 9(9), 1391–1410. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1974914

Tandoc, E. C., & Vos, T. P. (2016). The Journalist is Marketing the News. Journalism Practice, 10(8), 950–966. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2015.1087811

Tang, Y., Liu, L., Pan, T., & Wu, Z. (2024). A bibliometric analysis of cultural heritage visualisation based on Web of Science from 1998 to 2023: a literature overview. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1081. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03567-4

Trilling, D., & Knudsen, E. (2025). Drivers of News Sharing: How Context, Content, and User Features Shape Sharing Decisions on Facebook. Digital Journalism, 13(4), 723–744. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2023.2255224

Trilling, D., Tolochko, P., & Burscher, B. (2017). From Newsworthiness to Shareworthiness: How to Predict News Sharing Based on Article Characteristics. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 94(1), 38–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699016654682

Zai, F., & Wirz, D. (2025). News usage on Instagram: Frequency, motives, evaluation, and the role of political interest. Studies in Communication Sciences, 25(2), 127–143. https://doi.org/10.24434/j.scoms.2025.02.6125

Zaid, B., Ibahrine, M., Ben Moussa, M., & Makki, A. (2025). Shifting Power Dynamics: Media Capture and Platform Dominance in Journalism. Digital Journalism, 13(7), 1311–1330. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2025.2532509

Downloads

Published

2026-09-30

How to Cite

Kinanti Putri Rudiana, Dian Wardiana Sjuchro, & Efi Fadilah. (2026). TRENDS IN DIGITAL JOURNALISM RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA ERA: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE SCOPUS DATABASE FOR THE PERIOD 2012–2026. SOSIOEDUKASI : JURNAL ILMIAH ILMU PENDIDIKAN DAN SOSIAL, 15(3), 1688–1699. https://doi.org/10.36526/sosioedukasi.v15i3.9242