Exploring digital culture: A bibliometric review using keyword co-occurrence and performance analysis
TL;DR
The first large-scale bibliometric mapping of digital culture research from an organizational perspective clarifies the intellectual structure, growth trajectory, and research frontiers of digital culture, offering a structured knowledge map to guide future theory building and research agendas.
Abstract
Digital culture has become a central organizational phenomenon shaping how firms navigate digital transformation, emerging technologies, and sustainability pressures, yet prior research remains fragmented across disciplines and contexts. This study provides the first large-scale bibliometric mapping of digital culture research from an organizational perspective. Using the Scopus database, we analyzed 212 publications published between 2008 and 2025. Bibliometric techniques and VOSviewer were applied to examine (i) annual publication trends, (ii) thematic structures through keyword co-occurrence networks, (iii) influential knowledge producers across authors, affiliations, and countries, and (iv) document type distribution to infer field maturity. The results show a clear acceleration after 2020, culminating in more than 60 publications per year by 2025, indicating that digital culture has shifted from a niche conceptual topic to a consolidated research stream. Keyword co-occurrence reveals eight interconnected thematic clusters, with “digital culture” and “digital transformation” acting as the primary conceptual anchors and linking strongly to (1) digitalization and Industry 4.0 in SMEs, (2) performance and dynamic capabilities, (3) sustainability/ESG-oriented transformation, (4) digital strategy and structural alignment, (5) AI and IoT as emerging technological drivers, (6) the digital economy, (7) marketing and consumer interaction, and (8) leadership-driven innovation. Country production patterns highlight a recent geographic diversification, with rapid growth from emerging economies alongside established contributors. Document type analysis further indicates a field dominated by journal articles (68.0%), supported by book chapters (18.5%) and conference papers (11.0%), while reviews remain scarce, suggesting strong empirical expansion but limited synthesis. Overall, the study clarifies the intellectual structure, growth trajectory, and research frontiers of digital culture, offering a structured knowledge map to guide future theory building and research agendas.