Phubbing (phone + snubbing) research: a bibliometric science mapping of current and emerging trends

Purpose This study evaluates the knowledge structure of the phubbing (phone + snubbing) phenomenon in today's digitalized environment. Overreliance on smartphones has led people to neglect others in social contexts. Understanding the basis of past studies would help researchers and practitioners plan effective mitigative interventions. However, despite the increasing number of studies on phubbing, the knowledge structure and development in the field remain unclear. This highlights the need for a comprehensive understanding of phubbing research through bibliometric analysis to synthesize existing research and identify future research directions. Design/methodology/approach Applying a science mapping approach, this study identifies current and future trends in phubbing and suggests crucial gaps for future research. 309 articles were retrieved from the Web of Science core collection. Findings The current and emerging themes included (1) partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction, (2) negative impact of parental phubbing, (3) fear of missing out, phubbing and social media addiction and (4) impact of phubbing behavior. Research limitations/implications The implication of this study is crucial for practitioners and scholars in human behavioral studies to mitigate the negative impact of smartphones and other digital technologies on human relationships. Authorities and policymakers can benefit from the findings in this study by designing intervention strategies at the micro-level family settings and at the macro-level at the national stage to further reduce the burden of the phubbing phenomenon. Originality/value This study fills the gap by presenting a network visualization through bibliometric science mapping analysis. This study reveals the field's intellectual structure and key research themes, including partner phubbing, parental phubbing, smartphone addiction and social media addiction, while highlighting current trends and future research directions.