Comparison between social media and social networks in marketing research: a bibliometric view
Nankai Business Review International
ISSN: 2040-8749
Article publication date: 19 January 2021
Issue publication date: 1 June 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to systematically find the main research differences and similarities between social media and social networks in marketing research using the bibliometric perspective and provides suggestions for firms to improve their marketing strategies effectively.
Design/methodology/approach
The methods of co-word analysis and network analysis have been used to analyze the two research fields of social media and social networks. Specifically, this study selects 2,424 articles from 27 marketing academic journals present in the database Web of Science, ranging from January 1, 1996 to August 8, 2020.
Findings
The results show that social networks and social media are both research hotspots within the discipline of marketing research. The different intimacy nodes of social networks are more complex than social media. Additionally, the research scope of social networks is broader than social media in marketing research as shown by the keyword co-occurrence analysis. The overlap between social media and social networks in marketing research is reflected in the strong focus on their mixed mutual effects.
Originality/value
This paper explores the differences and similarities between social networks and social media in marketing research from the bibliometric perspective and provides a developing trend of their research hotspots in social media and social networks marketing research by keyword co-occurrence analysis and cluster analysis. Additionally, this paper provides some suggestions for firms looking to improve the efficiency of their marketing strategies from social and economic perspectives.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank professor Lars Bo Kaspersen for his constructive suggestions and fruitful comments. Professor Lars Bo Kaspersen has taken time out of his busy schedule to support this research; we appreciate that we have had this opportunity to discuss our research with him so many times. We also thank Doctor Adam Pilot and Alexander L. Q. Chen for providing some revision for this paper.
Citation
Zhao, H., Huang, Y. and Wang, Z. (2021), "Comparison between social media and social networks in marketing research: a bibliometric view", Nankai Business Review International, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 122-151. https://doi.org/10.1108/NBRI-12-2019-0072
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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