Parasocial Relationships with Social Media Influencers: A Bibliometric Review using R
Kaukab Abid Azhar*, Che Aniza Che Wel** and Siti Ngayesah Ab Hamid***
Faculty of Economics & Management (FEP), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. *
Faculty of Economics & Management (FEP), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. **
Faculty of Economics & Management (FEP), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.***
Abstract: This study aims to assess the scholarly development of parasocial relationships with social media influencers through a bibliometric citation and network analysis of literature published from 2018 to April 2024. The research data was extracted from the Web of Science (WoS) database following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was visualized using the bibliometrix package in R programming language. The analysis indicated a consistent growth in the number of publications on parasocial relationships with social media influencers, starting from the first paper in 2018, with the number increasing steadily to 35 by 2023. Additionally, the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services emerged as the journal receiving the highest number of citations. Notably, Sophie C. Boerman and S. Venus Jin were identified as the most cited authors, with the University of Amsterdam being the most cited institution. Further analysis involving co-authorship and co-occurrence provided significant insights. This study offers detailed information on the most cited journals, influential papers, leading authors, prominent institutions, and the geographic distribution of research. It also serves as a practical guide for journal editorial boards to understand author growth and networking possibilities within the study of parasocial relationships with social media influencers.
Keywords: bibliometric analysis, social media influencers, parasocial relationships, influencer marketing, systematic literature review
