The Missing Lens: Inviting Social Psychologists into Political Social Media Influencer (PSMIs) Research (A Two Decade of Bibliometric Mapping)

AbstractThis paper presents a bibliometric analysis of research on Political Social Media Influencers (PSMIs) within the field of social psychology, reviewing publications across two decades periods (2004-2024) to identify key trends, influential contributors, and existing research gaps. Using VOSviewer 1.6.20, a total of 598 journal articles were analyzed, revealing a significant surge in PSMI-related studies after 2018. The analysis highlights dominant contributions from leading journals such as Social Media and Society, as well as from institutions primarily located in the Global North—particularly the United States—while collaborations involving the Global South remain limited but are gradually increasing. Among the most influential scholars, Caroline Are emerges as a leading contributor, while the most cited authors are Khamis and Van Dick. The most active institutions include Universidad Complutense de Madrid, RMIT University in Australia, and the University of Texas at Austin. When aggregating research productivity by country, the United States remains the most prolific. The conceptual analysis of socio-political themes surrounding PSMIs indicates a shift from traditional topics—such as leadership and public opinion—toward more digitally oriented issues like populism, crisis communication, and online activism. This evolution positions PSMIs as central figures in contemporary political communication and underscores the need for further research on their roles in political polarization, agenda-setting, and civic mobilization.Keywords: Political Social Media Influencers (PSMIs), bibliometric analysis, social psychology, digital politics, political communication, online activism