Mapping the Role of Social Sciences in Cybersecurity Research
Mapping the Role of Social Sciences in Cybersecurity Research

Summary/Abstract: The rapid evolution of cyberspace and the growing engagement of individuals in digital environments have led to a paradigm shift in cybersecurity research towards a human-centric approach. This perspective acknowledges the complexity of cybersecurity threats and their far-reaching impact on individuals, communities and society as a whole. Cybersecurity therefore needs to be studied from a multidisciplinary perspective. With a dataset of 8,330 articles from the Scopus database, this study uses bibliometric analysis and co-occurrence techniques to map the field of social cybersecurity, examine research trends and assess the overall state of cybersecurity from the perspective of social sciences. VOSviewer software was used to create network maps to illustrate the relationships between key terms and to present the advancement of thematic areas in cybersecurity research. The study reveals a significant expansion in the field of social cybersecurity, moving from conventional topics related to cyber threats, such as malware and phishing, to more nuanced areas like social media and disinformation. The analysis of major research themes in social cybersecurity research indicates that cybersecurity has been integrated with various domains such as ethics, psychology, education, and law. This paper makes an important contribution by offering an overview of social cybersecurity research, an analysis of research trends and a roadmap for future research and policy development aimed at protecting the digital ecosystem through a holistic understanding of human factors in cybersecurity.

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