DIGITAL RELIGION AND VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES: A BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW OF ONLINE RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

Abstract

Technological transformation has affected every aspect of human life, including the way individuals and communities conduct their spiritual activities. This phenomenon, known as digital religion, has become increasingly prevalent in society. Recently, there have been many scientific studies on the topic of this phenomenon, digital religion and virtual communities. This study analyses digital religion and virtual communities through a bibliometric approach with the Biblioshiny R programming application using data from Scopus in the 2011-2024 timeframe. The resulting dataset is 31 scientific articles, then extracted and summarised. The results showed a fluctuating production of articles on the topic of digital religion and virtual communities every year, and the highest production occurred in 2024 with a total of 7 publications of scientific articles. Meanwhile, the average citation of scientific articles occurred in 2011. Sweden dominates the contribution of articles and citations, while the United States occupies a position below it by a narrow margin. The top researchers in this field are I. B. Alfonso and M. G. Buesa. The journal with the most publications is Jenkins h. Convergence Culture. The major trends and thematic clusters reflect the picture related to digital religion and virtual communities. This research makes a significant contribution to understanding the development of digital religion and virtual communities research through bibliometric analysis. This research can be used as a strategic guide for researchers who will explore this topic more deeply in the future