Are English “social media influencers” and Chinese “Wanghong” equivalent? A bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace

This study presents a comparative analysis of influencer marketing research in China and the West since 2016. Using bibliometric methods and knowledge mapping techniques, we analyzed 1,808 papers from the Web of Science and 2,174 papers from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Keyword co-occurrence, time zone, and co-citation analyses were employed to visualize the research landscape. The findings reveal a shared conceptualization of social media influencers (Western term) and Wanghong (Chinese term) among Chinese and Western scholars, albeit with differing research emphases. Chinese studies tend to focus on the Wanghong economic model, live-streaming technologies, and e-commerce integration. Time-zone analysis indicates theory-driven growth in the West and practice-driven development in China. The co-citation network shows that 87.5% of foundational knowledge originates from Western sources, underscoring the “West-centric” nature of marketing research. This study helps elucidate influencer marketing mechanisms and cultural differences, thereby advancing cross-cultural perspectives in marketing research.