Examining the Studies on “Social Media Addiction”: A Bibliometric Analysis

Addiction, characterized by a loss of control over one's behavior, has gained significant attention in relation to the pervasive influence of social media networks in daily life. In this study, bibliometric analysis was conducted to examine the issue of addiction to social media. A systematic search was performed in the Web of Science database for studies published between 2013 and 2023, utilizing the keyword "social media addiction". Within the defined scope, a total of 336 studies were included in the analysis. The findings reveal that Mark D. Griffiths emerged as the most prolific researcher in the field of social media addiction, with the highest number of published studies and citations. Notably, a substantial proportion of the publications on this topic originated from Turkey, with Nottingham Trent University being the most frequent institutional affiliation, coinciding with Mark D. Griffiths' affiliation. Moreover, an analysis of the common themes in these studies highlights a notable dearth of research on social anxiety and impulsivity in the context of social media addiction.