A comprehensive investigation utilizing topic modeling to analyze research interests and trends in digital literacy

The objective of this study is to delineate the existing research landscape and prevalent trends in digital literacy by applying topic modeling methodologies. For this purpose, 2,223 articles published between 2007 and mid-2024 retrieved from the Scopus database were analyzed using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation model. The findings revealed a consistent increase in publications over time, with a significant acceleration from 2019 onwards. Ten distinct topics were identified, with “Digital Literacy & Online Education,” “Digital Literacy & Citizenship,” and “Digital Literacy & Teaching Profession” being the most prominent themes. Trend analysis showed that “Digital Literacy & Online Education,” “Digital Literacy & Health,” and “Economy & Older Adults” demonstrated the most significant recent growth. The implications of these findings indicate a dynamic, pandemic-influenced shift in digital literacy research towards practical applications in health and the economy. This underscores the urgent need for policies and educational practices that address emerging digital competencies and divides, particularly concerning older adults and marginalized communities.