Performance analysis of sustainable metaverse: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

PurposeOrganisations in the past aimed to use technology to improve their processes and services. However, nowadays, their primary focus is on using technology sustainably. Sustainability is crucial to ensure a better and safer future for our environment. One such technology is the Metaverse, which is considered the next step in the growth of the Internet. It combines the real world with the virtual world to create a multi-user environment, allowing users to experience a fully immersive, real-time existence with digital characters, objects, and locations that are often 3D. The Metaverse and sustainability share a strong relationship, as it is expected that the Metaverse will have a significant impact on the material, economic, and social realms, as well as sustainability worldwide. This paper uses bibliometric analysis to understand sustainable metaverse scholarship better and provide an up-to-date account of industry practices.Design/methodology/approachThis paper used the PRISMA approach and bibliometric analysis to analyse and draw conclusions from 2,911 articles retrieved from the Scopus database from 1999 to July 2023. The methodology is divided into four steps: data collection, analysis, visualisation, and interpretation. The current study uses the Bibliometric R-package and VOS viewer software to comprehend sustainable metaverse scholarship.FindingsThe study provides fascinating insights that may assist scholars, industry professionals, and top management in understanding and conceptualising sustainable metaverse in their organisations. The results show that the number of publications has significantly increased from 2015 onwards, reaching a maximum of 601 manuscripts in 2022 with an increasing publication annual growth rate of 29.12%. The United Kingdom, India, China, the USA and Italy were the most productive countries regarding the total number of publications. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Journal of Cleaner Production, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Current Issues in Tourism, Benchmarking: An International Journal of Production Research and International Journal of Information Management emerged as the top outlets.Research limitations/implicationsThe research in sustainable metaverse is underpinned by this study, which aims to understand the trends in this field over the last two decades regarding prolific authors, most influential journals, key themes, and the intellectual and social structure. The study on sustainable metaverse has grown significantly and attracted interest from academia and business since 2015, following its embryonic stage. Consequently, a more in-depth analysis is required to help develop a better understanding of this new field.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on sustainable metaverse through increased interest from 2015 onwards through the literature review. Although the metaverse has already received significant financial and labour investments from businesses and technology firms, various sustainability issues are still present in physical materials. There is a need to assess the achievement of numerous Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using the resources and time put into the metaverse. Furthermore, these findings can guide researchers who want to delve deeper into sustainable metaverse.