Mapping the scholarly landscape of TikTok (Douyin): A bibliometric exploration of research topics and trends

Abstract

The TikTok platform has become widely popular among younger generations and has influenced various industries and aspects of life. This systematic literature review, using bibliometric methods, aims to examine the evolution of TikTok research from its initial development to its current status. A total of 402 journal articles from 2019 to 2022 were systematically selected from the Web of Science Core Collection. Descriptive statistical analysis identified the most contributing academic institutions, nations, journals, scholars, and influential studies. Using CiteSpace, three visualization types were implemented: cluster views, timezone views, and timeline views. The study results indicate that several TikTok research clusters exist, which summarize important topics such as the platform's overall impact on society, politics, culture, as well as human-centric issues such as social attachment, functional tics, and their implications for public health. According to the co-word analysis, TikTok research revolves around body consciousness, social behavior, consumer behavior, and news media. The comprehensive mapping of TikTok research provides valuable insights into the current state of knowledge and identifies numerous relevant technical and social areas for future investigation. As the first bibliometric review of TikTok research, this study offers an important foundation for future scholarly inquiry in various areas.