A bibliometric analysis of digital amnesia in the context of digitalization

This bibliometric study explores the emerging research landscape of digital amnesia, a cognitive phenomenon associated with increasing dependence on digital technology. The objective was to map the scientific landscape of this emerging field, identify influential authors, core research themes, and publication trends. Data was extracted from 3,026 peer-reviewed articles indexed in the Web of Science from 2001 to 2023. Biblioshiny and CiteSpace tools were employed to visualize and analyze research networks. Findings revealed a substantial rise in publications since 2019, increasing from 195 articles in 2019 to 837 in 2023, representing more than a fourfold growth within this period, with significant contributions from countries such as China and the United States. Prominent authors included Wang Y and Li Y, and key journals such as Sustainability and Frontiers in Psychology dominated the field. Keyword co-occurrence and cluster analyses highlighted dominant themes like health, technology, children, cognitive overload, digital distraction, and information dependency. Despite an increasing volume of research, conceptual development in the field remains fragmented. This study provides a foundational overview of current scholarship and identifies gaps and opportunities for interdisciplinary research exploring the hypothesized cognitive and psychological dimensions of digitalization.