Social Media as a Catalyst for Digital Entrepreneurship: A Scientometric Review and Visualization Using Citespace, VOSviewer and Biblioshiny

The intersection of social media and digital entrepreneurship has emerged as a significant area of academic inquiry, especially in the context of accelerated digital transformation. This study presents a comprehensive scientometric review of scholarly research exploring how social media platforms act as catalysts for digital entrepreneurial activity. Drawing on 282 peer-reviewed publications from the Scopus database spanning 2012 to 2025, the analysis employs three powerful bibliometric tools—Biblioshiny, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace—to uncover trends in authorship, thematic evolution, co-citation networks, and global research collaborations. The findings reveal a robust annual growth rate in publications (21,06 %), with key themes including digital marketing, innovation, platform-based business models, and influencer-driven entrepreneurship. Co-occurrence and thematic mapping indicate a shift from general discussions on digital platforms to more specialized concerns such as entrepreneurial passion, digital transformation, and AI integration. The analysis also identifies leading contributors, core publication sources, and country-level research output, highlighting strong participation from both developed and emerging economies. This review not only maps the intellectual structure of the field but also identifies critical research gaps and practical implications for policymakers, educators, and practitioners seeking to foster sustainable and inclusive digital entrepreneurial ecosystems.