Mapping the Frontiers of Digital Political Activism: Insights from Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Social media plays a crucial role in digital political landscapes, particularly as a platform for marginalized communities to express their views. It enables citizens to actively engage in political discussions, advocacy, and campaigns. Political activity in digital spaces facilitates mass mobilization and significantly accelerates policy discussions. Over time, this topic has attracted scholarly attention. This study conducts a comprehensive examination of the evolving landscapes of digital political activism, focusing on emerging trends and patterns. Using bibliometric analysis and the PRISMA framework, scientific articles were extracted from Scopus. The search was confined to the domain of digital political activism from 2000 to August 2025. Findings reveal that digital political activism has increasingly become a significant research domain. Scholars from developed countries have consistently contributed to this field. However, its development has been fragmented, following distinct trajectories with various clusters emerging within the topic of digital political activism. The governance of digital participation, the role of social media in digital political activism, identity politics, and civic engagement during crises that certain subjects have emerged as research hotspots, necessitating further exploration to address the gaps in the literature.