The current status and future prospects of the Metaverse: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract The Metaverse is emerging as an important component of the evolving digital economy, yet existing research remains fragmented and lacks cross-cultural comparison. This study employs bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review to compare research trends using data from the Web of Science (WOS) and CSSCI databases. The findings reveal distinct trajectories: research published in international journals emerged earlier and evolved from virtual worlds to mixed reality and AI, whereas Chinese-language research gained momentum later and has focused primarily on blockchain, digital twins, and policy-oriented applications. To integrate these perspectives, this paper constructs a theoretical framework based on the Input-Process-Output (IPO) model. The framework maps technological and policy drivers as inputs, the five-layer Metaverse architecture as the process mechanism, and multidimensional societal impacts as outputs. Finally, the paper proposes future research directions to guide the field’s development.