Mapping the Novel Nexus of Young People, Digitalisation, and Sustainability in the Global South: A Bibliometric Approach to Reviewing Literature for Future Studies

This study conducts a bibliometric and thematic analysis on the convergence of young people, digitalisation, and sustainability in the Global South, analysing 349 Scopus-indexed documents. It investigates thematic evolutions, identifies key contributors and collaboration networks, and highlights emergent trends across social, environmental, and computer sciences. The research employs a mixed-methods approach to dissect the interplay between digital technologies and sustainable development, revealing significant global academic collaboration. It outlines three critical future research areas: the impact of digital technologies on young people's relational well-being (RWB), barriers and facilitators to incorporating relational well-being (RWB) in sustainability practices, and the creation of relational well-being (RWB)-centric digital engagement frameworks for sustainability. The paper proposes a concise roadmap for future investigations, by producing thirty possible future studies to address the literary gap in epistemology, emphasising the need for innovative approaches that merge digitalisation with sustainability to enhance relational well-being (RWB) approach among youth in the Global South. This condensed analysis and its recommendations contribute to the discourse on leveraging digital technologies for sustainable development, offering insights for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.