Mapping trends in digital business research: from bit transformation to sustainable data-centric enterprises

Digital business has transformed industries, economies, and societies, yet the conceptual evolution of the field remains insufficiently explored. In this paper, we present the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of digital business research, mapping its development from its origins to the post-pandemic era. We construct a dataset covering literature from 1907 to 2022, drawing from Web of Science and Scopus to identify key research communities and emerging themes. We document the evolution of the field across critical historical milestones, including the Dot-Com bubble, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis reveals a striking lack of academic literature on digital business before 1999, with only 36 articles published. However, the landscape shifted dramatically following the dot-com bubble, leading to a surge in research output, with 4909 articles published between 1999 and 2022. We identify four major research communities that have shaped the field: digital transformation and sustainable business models, e-commerce and consumer behavior, emerging technologies and economic development, and the platform economy and the future of work. Our findings suggest that themes such as SMEs, online shopping, blockchain, and economic growth have been central drivers of the field, while emerging areas like advanced manufacturing and privacy concerns are gaining traction. Looking ahead, we predict that future research will focus on labor dynamics, transparency, and the role of machine learning in digital business. Ultimately, this study enhances our understanding of how digital technologies continue to shape economic and social structures, paving the way for a more sustainable and equitable digital future.