Frontiers | Toward inclusive and sustainable digital growth: linking e-commerce, social capital, and community development

Toward inclusive and sustainable digital growth: linking e-commerce, social capital, and community development

• 1. Department of Social Work, Faculty of Health Sciences, Gelisim University, Istanbul, Türkiye

• 2. Institute of Social Sciences, University of Dunaújváros, Dunaújváros, Hungary

• 3. School of Social Work, Marian College Kuttikkanam, Kuttikkanam, India

• 4. Teesside University International Business School, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

• 5. Sohar University, Sohar, Oman

• 6. Szechenyi Istvan Egyetem, Gyor, Hungary

• 7. Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai, India

• 8. Department of English, Lakshmi College of Education, Gandhigram, Dindigul, India

• 9. Department of Social Work, Bharata Mata College Autonomous, Kochi, India

• 10. Department of Psychology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, India

Abstract

The growth of e-commerce has reshaped how people participate in the economy, interact online, and develop their communities in both developed and emerging economies. However, studies on the social and developmental impacts of digital commerce remain fragmented across disciplines, regions, and conceptual traditions. This study examines two interconnected research streams: e-commerce and social capital, and e-commerce and community development, by synthesizing bibliometric data on global scholarship from 2001 to 2025.

The data were collected from Scopus and Web of Science, yielding 546 publications. To explore the conceptual organization and thematic evolution of the field, multiple bibliometric methods, including keyword co-occurrence analysis, thematic mapping, citation analysis, temporal trend analysis, and multiple correspondence analysis, were used.

The results indicate that e-commerce is no longer seen as a tool for transactions but as a sociotechnical ecosystem of digitally mediated participation, trust, economic empowerment, and community change. The literature on e-commerce and social capital is primarily organized around themes of online trust, digital interaction, and social participation in e-commerce. In contrast, the literature on e-commerce and community development is organized by themes of sustainability, entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and local economic resilience. The study also finds significant geographical variation in existing research on digital commerce in China, with less work on digitally marginalized areas and underserved communities, particularly in rural digital transformation and platform-based entrepreneurship. The study further demonstrates that e-commerce has the potential to boost bridging social capital by creating digital networks and external markets, but also to transform localized forms of bonding social capital that are traditionally associated with face-to-face interaction and community cohesion.

The study contributes by integrating fragmented scholarship into a multidimensional sociotechnical framework linking e-commerce, social capital, digital inclusion, sustainability, and policy support. It has implications for inclusive digital growth and sustainability-oriented community development, particularly regarding equitable participation, resilient local economies, and sustainable consumption practices.

Introduction

E-commerce has transformed from a mere transactional mechanism into a global driver reshaping economies, societies, and communities (; Rahman, 2024; ). Digital platforms offer open avenues for entrepreneurship, access to marketplaces, and social mobility, especially in developing countries, where online platforms have linked local networks to global markets (; ). This expansion has introduced new business models and expanded access to goods and services that were once limited to specific geographies, while simultaneously embedding digital commerce into social interaction and community formation processes (; Wei et al., 2011). Although research on digital commerce is expanding rapidly, scholarship on its associated social and developmental implications is conceptually fragmented. In particular, research linking e-commerce with social capital and research examining e-commerce and community development (CD) have unfolded as parallel but insufficiently connected research streams.

The rapid expansion of the global digital economy has transformed patterns of production, exchange, communication, and social participation across societies. Within this transformation, e-commerce has developed from a transactional marketplace into a platform-based sociotechnic infrastructure that shapes entrepreneurship, market access, consumer interaction, and digitally mediated participation (; Rahman, 2024; ). Digital platforms enable individuals, small enterprises, and marginalized communities to access wider markets, information flows, and networked opportunities beyond geographical constraints. At the same time, platform-based growth raises new concerns about digital exclusion, uneven market access, platform dependency, market concentration, and changing forms of community interaction and trust (; UNCTAD, 2023; Shpigelman, 2017).

In this study, sustainability is understood as a multidimensional process that extends beyond environmental protection to include inclusive economic participation, equitable digital access, social cohesion, institutional resilience, and long-term community well-being. This framing connects e-commerce scholarship with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth, SDG 9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure, SDG 10 on reduced inequalities, and SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities (Rahman, 2024; UNCTAD, 2022). From this perspective, the relationship between e-commerce, social capital, and community development is central to understanding whether digital transformation contributes to inclusive and sustainable development or reproduces existing inequalities.

E-commerce does not hold value merely from an economic standpoint; it is also a socially embedded mechanism that shapes trust formation, cooperation, participation, and networked interaction (; Shpigelman, 2017). Social capital plays a critical role in strengthening local economies’ resilience, collective participation, and long-term community sustainability (Majee and Hoyt, 2011; Putro et al., 2022). The rise of digital platforms has introduced new avenues for creating bridging capital, linking individuals and communities to wider networks and global markets, while also raising concerns about the erosion of bonding capital rooted in local trust and face-to-face relationships (; Vannebo and Ljunggren, 2021). Consequently, digital commerce simultaneously creates opportunities for inclusion, connectivity, and entrepreneurship, while also reshaping existing social structures and community relationships (; Li et al., 2021).

The social implications of digital commerce for local communities remain particularly contested in the literature. Traditionally, community development has revolved around neighborliness and informal networks that strengthen social bonding capital (). The long-term strength of a community may be reduced by digital interactions through which it is formed (Johnson and Griffis, 2013; ). The potentially detrimental impact of digital commerce on the bonding capital of mutually beneficial interactions among different groups raises questions about its effects on community resilience and sustainability (Leong et al., 2016; Pratuangboriboon, 2018; Suriyankietkaew et al., 2025).

Although e-commerce provides ample opportunities for marginalized groups to connect with the global marketplace, it also poses significant challenges. Owing to the digital divide, e-commerce growth is uneven across regions. The continued lack of stable Internet infrastructure, hardware, and digital literacy remains a major hindrance to communities (; Rashid, 2020). These barriers create widening inequalities, particularly for rural and disadvantaged populations in developing countries (). Furthermore, global e-commerce players, including Amazon and Alibaba, threaten local economic sovereignty by pushing local businesses to the periphery and creating market uniformity, which can exacerbate wealth inequalities within and between communities (Singh et al., 2023; Qiu, 2024; Shao and Liu, 2020). Consequently, the potential of e-commerce to promote economic diversification and social transformation requires proper regulation to prevent the intensification of inequalities and the exclusion of the underserved. This contrast highlights the potential of digital commerce to influence the social and economic dimensions of community development, whether in empowering or harmful ways, across different contexts.

Despite growing academic attention to e-commerce as both an economic and social phenomenon, existing research remains fragmented. Similar to economic studies, social science studies also focus on efficiency, innovation/entrepreneurship (; ), trust, participation, and community resilience (; Majee and Hoyt, 2011). Consequently, an integrative understanding of how digital commerce simultaneously restructures markets and social relations has yet to be developed. Additionally, the urgency and necessity of this synthesis are underscored by new developments, such as the acceleration of digital transformation post-COVID-19 and the integration of e-commerce into the Sustainable Development Goals (Rahman, 2024; UNCTAD, 2023).

Prior reviews, often region-specific and heavily concentrated in rural China (Qi et al., 2018; ), especially in Taobao villages, provide valuable but geographically limited insights. A global comparative perspective capable of identifying the field’s intellectual roots, thematic blind spots, and regional imbalances is lacking. Moreover, the literature exhibits conceptual inconsistencies in explaining how e-commerce translates digital participation into social capital and community resilience, resulting in fragmented theoretical interpretations and policy discussions. The current study fills this gap by providing a systematic bibliometric synthesis that clarifies these conceptual linkages and situates them within a global comparative framework. Unlike previous region-specific reviews, this study comparatively examines two major research streams associated with e-commerce scholarship: e-commerce and social capital, and e-commerce and community development. It expands on prior efforts by offering a comprehensive global comparative synthesis that captures the interdisciplinary evolution of this field. To address the above-discussed shortfalls, the present paper employs a bibliometric SLR to comparatively examine the evolution of scholarship on e-commerce and social capital, and e-commerce and community development, globally from 2001 to 2025. Furthermore, the study explores how digital participation, trust formation, inclusivity, and community-oriented development are represented across these two interconnected research domains. This study contributes by (1) synthesizing global evidence across two major e-commerce-related research streams; (2) identifying thematic clusters, blind spots, and conceptual tensions; and (3) clarifying the conceptual relationships between digital inclusion, social interaction, and community-oriented development to inform future research and policy-making.

Research questions

RQ1: How have global scholarship on e-commerce and social capital, and e-commerce and community development, evolved between 2001 and 2025, and what thematic and geographical patterns characterize these research streams?

RQ2: What intellectual structures, influential authors, and institutional collaborations shape the research landscape on e-commerce, social capital, and community development, and how do these patterns vary across disciplinary and regional contexts?

RQ3: What conceptual and thematic patterns emerge across the two research domains regarding economic empowerment, digital inclusion, and social cohesion in e-commerce scholarship?

RQ4: What theoretical and empirical gaps persist within these two research streams, and how can addressing these gaps contribute to future discussions on inclusive digital growth?

Theoretical background

E-commerce

E-commerce scholarship increasingly frames digital platforms as mechanisms of market access, innovation, and inclusive economic participation, particularly for small enterprises and marginalized groups (; Smith, 2019). The pace of digital adoption accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the e-commerce sector proved robust, sustaining livelihoods and ensuring business continuity. Recent literature indicates that platforms act not only as enablers of trade but also as forces of innovation, driving logistics, payments, and engagement, and creating new opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (; Kumar, 2021; Sang and Cuong, 2024). In emerging economies, lowering the barriers to entry into digital marketplaces for entrepreneurs, particularly women and youth, promotes inclusive growth (Shaikh et al., 2022). However, unequal digital access, financial exclusion, and platform concentration continue to shape who benefits from e-commerce growth (Khanal et al., 2021; ; Wang and Ng, 2020; Singh, 2009).

Social capital

Social capital refers to networks, trust, and norms that support collective action and community development, and it is increasingly examined as both an enabler and an outcome of digital transformation (; Putnam, 2000; ; ). E-commerce platforms can encourage connections between individuals and groups in different geographical and social contexts. These platforms support the flow of information, innovation, and resources (). Recent studies have shown that digital platforms strengthen weak ties by offering opportunities to collaborate, share knowledge, and support peers (; Lyu et al., 2022). explain that social commerce (the convergence of social and e-commerce networks) fosters trust and reciprocity among users, ultimately driving their engagement and loyalty. However, commercial digitalization also threatens bonding social capital, which relies on strong relationships that underpin local trust. According to Phulari et al. (2010) and Pitas and Ehmer, the transition from personal, face-to-face interactions to online interactions deteriorates traditional methods of community engagement and weakens informal support systems, which are essential for resilience.

Community development in the digital age

Community development is a multidimensional process involving economic, social, cultural, and long-term sustainability outcomes (Rambaree et al., 2019; ). Within this framework, e-commerce contributes through market access, livelihood opportunities, and digital inclusion. E-commerce is a powerful force that contributes to development in several ways. From an economic perspective, it supports developers, creates jobs, and integrates them into the global value chain, particularly for small- and medium-sized businesses in developing countries (Kumar, 2021; ; ). Socially, e-commerce provides marginalized groups, such as women, youth, and rural people, with new spaces to engage, become visible, and be vocal (Pearce, 2024). In addition, the use of digital inclusion in e-commerce can facilitate access to valuable information, services, and tools across the vast digital realm (Lv et al., 2025; Qiu et al., 2025). Recent studies further show that e-commerce, when combined with digital literacy, infrastructure investment, and participatory approaches, may support rural revitalization, women’s economic empowerment, and poverty alleviation (Leong et al., 2016; ; ; Zhao et al., 2025). However, these benefits depend on whether digital development strengthens both external connectivity and local cohesion (UNCTAD, 2022; Marzi et al., 2025).

Methodology

Research design

This study used a bibliometric systematic literature review (B-SLR) approach, which combines systematic review protocols with advanced bibliometric methods, to explore the relationship between e-commerce, social capital, and community development (CD) over time. The comprehensive review design was based on Marzi et al. (2025) 10-step model. The review design was conducted using quantitative mapping, thematic synthesis, and conceptual theory Marzi et al., (2025). A structured protocol was formulated in advance, including the aims, databases chosen, search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and data analysis. Despite the lack of pre-registration, the study adhered to all methodological procedures with transparency, reproducibility, and process tracking in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. As digital commerce research is interdisciplinary, a dual-query bibliometric design was used to explore two related research fields: e-commerce and social capital, and e-commerce and community development. This comparative structure enabled the identification of thematic patterns, intellectual structures, and emerging trends within each research stream while maintaining each stream’s analytical distinctiveness.

Data source

A literature search was conducted in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, which were chosen because they cover high-impact peer-reviewed publications in the social sciences, business, and technology. Scopus and Web of Science integration helped increase database coverage, minimize source bias, and strengthen the robustness and reliability of the bibliometric dataset. Both databases are widely recognized for their metadata quality, interdisciplinary indexing, and compatibility with bibliometric software tools (Sudaryana et al., 2025). Given the compatibility of multi-database bibliometric data and the analytical reproducibility of the bibliometric data, the Biblioshiny interface of the Bibliometrix R package was used for metadata extraction and analysis. The study period, from January 2001 to December 2025, was designed to track the long-term evolution of scholarship by examining the intersections of e-commerce, social capital, and community development. To ensure conceptual consistency and high data quality, only peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers in English were included. Non-English records were excluded, but it was determined that their exclusion did not impact thematic diversity. Book chapters and editorials were excluded to avoid venue-quality bias and maintain analytical comparability.

Search strategies

A dual-query bibliometric search strategy was employed to systematically capture two major research domains associated with digital commerce scholarship: e-commerce and social capital, and e-commerce and community development.

The first query, which focused on e-commerce and social capital, used the following terms:

(“e-commerce” OR “digital commerce” OR “internet commerce” OR “online business”) AND (“social capital” OR “community trust” OR “bonding social capital” OR “bridging social capital” OR “social cohesion”).

This search retrieved 322 records from Scopus (n = 168) and Web of Science (n = 154). After duplicate removal and eligibility screening, 188 studies were retained for bibliometric analysis.

The second query, targeting e-commerce and community development, emphasized digital inclusion, empowerment, and local transformation.

(“e-commerce” OR “digital commerce” OR “internet commerce” OR “online business”) AND (“community development” OR “rural development” OR “urban development” OR “digital inclusion” OR “local development” OR “community empowerment”).

Across both queries, a total of 935 records were identified from Scopus and Web of Science. After removing duplicate records (n = 206) and excluding records that did not meet the predefined eligibility criteria (n = 183), 546 studies were retained for bibliometric analysis, as illustrated in the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram (Page et al., 2021) (Figure 1).

Boolean operators, controlled vocabulary, and database field tags (TITLE-ABS-KEY for Scopus and Topic Search for Web of Science) were used to maximize retrieval precision. The use of controlled vocabulary ensured that conceptually related keywords were placed in proximity to one another, thereby improving sensitivity at a low cost of specificity. The dual-query structure enabled the comparative exploration of two major relational dimensions within e-commerce scholarship. Analyzing the datasets independently facilitated the identification of distinct thematic clusters, contributor networks, conceptual structures, and emerging research directions across the two domains.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

To ensure methodological rigor and thematic relevance, the inclusion criteria were defined a priori and applied consistently across all queries. This study focused on peer-reviewed articles published in English between January 2001 and December 2025. Studies were retained if they engaged substantively with either of the two focal research domains: e-commerce and social capital, or e-commerce and community development through conceptual, empirical, or theoretical analyses.

Documents that lacked direct relevance to the predefined research domains or did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded. Non-peer-reviewed literature (e.g., book chapters, editorials, dissertations, or gray literature) was excluded to maintain academic rigor and ensureand final versions of the same paper indexed separately, were identified and removed before screening

To improve reliability and accuracy, the screenings were performed manually by two independent reviewers. Differences were resolved through dialogue until consensus was reached. As it was impossible to calculate a formal Cohen’s k due to insufficient disagreements, the inter-reviewer consensus of >96% ensured the reliability of the screening.

This transparent approach, aligned with the PRISMA 2020 workflow, supports the replicability, transparency, and comparability of the two bibliometric datasets.

Data extraction and processing

After screening, 546 records were retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science and exported in BibTeX format for compatibility with the bibliometric software. All these datasets were then moved to Biblioshiny, the graphical interface of the R-based Bibliometrix package, which can be used to perform advanced metadata cleaning, normalization, and quantitative mapping. Standard bibliographic information, such as author(s), title, abstract, keywords, affiliations, source journal, number of citations, and year of publication, was provided for each record. Harmonization of author and source name variations (e.g., “e-commerce” and “electronic commerce”) and harmonization of institutional and country names were performed. Prior to screening, duplicate records identified by Scopus and Web of Science were removed from the dataset to ensure dataset consistency and avoid analytical redundancy. Further manual checking was carried out to identify intra-database duplicate entries, such as early-access and final-indexed versions of the same publication. Two sets of data were analyzed separately: (1) e-commerce and social capital, and (2) e-commerce and community development, and then compared thematically, intellectually, and conceptually. This comparative structure helped to identify converging and diverging patterns of research in the two domains more clearly.

Bibliometric analysis techniques

A variety of quantitative and network-based bibliometric techniques were used to examine the intellectual, thematic, temporal, and conceptual structures of the two research fields. All analyses were conducted using Biblioshiny, the graphical interface of the Bibliometrix R package, which supports bibliometric network construction, visualization, and trend detection. Each technique was selected to address a specific dimension of the research objectives. Keyword co-occurrence analysis was used to identify dominant conceptual linkages and thematic associations between the two research streams, particularly regarding digital inclusion, trust, social capital, and community development. Temporal analysis was used to trace the evolution of scholarly attention over time and identify periods of thematic growth, particularly regarding digital transformation and post-COVID-19 platform adoption. Thematic mapping was used to distinguish motor, basic, niche, and emerging or declining themes, thereby clarifying the maturity and strategic relevance of each research area. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was employed to examine the higher-order conceptual structure of the field by mapping the proximity of frequently occurring terms within a multidimensional space. Citation analysis was used to identify influential works, intellectual foundations, and disciplinary orientations shaping the two domains. Together, these techniques enabled a comparative assessment of how e-commerce research has evolved in relation to social capital and community development.

Reporting transparency and reproducibility

The methodological transparency and reproducibility of the results are highlighted in this study. All procedural details, including the choice of databases, query logic, inclusion criteria, and analytical parameters, were carefully described to ensure that they could be replicated and remained consistent. All the parameters in Biblioshiny (such as keyword thresholds and MCA dimensions) were applied and reproduced in the same interface. This can be reproduced in the tool interface. The use of Scopus and Web of Science improved metadata quality and reduced database-specific bias, thereby enhancing the comprehensiveness of the bibliometric analysis. Future studies might build on these results by incorporating additional bibliographic databases and conducting longitudinal data analyses. The structure and clarity of reporting in this study were designed to facilitate replication and adaptation in related research fields, thereby enhancing the study’s academic rigor and relevance.

Results

This section presents the results of the bibliometric analysis of the relationship between e-commerce, social capital, and community development. The analysis comparatively examines the intellectual, thematic, and conceptual patterns emerging across two major research domains: e-commerce and social capital, and e-commerce and community development. Using keyword co-occurrence patterns, thematic clusters, and citation network analysis, the study mapped dominant research themes, influential contributors, and evolving conceptual structures across the two bibliometric datasets, acknowledging that these patterns were partially shaped by the search parameters employed herein. A temporal analysis revealed shifts in research emphasis, particularly after 2016, with a surge in interest following the COVID-19 pandemic, and identified gaps that suggest directions for future studies. The findings provide a comparative overview of the evolving intellectual landscape of digital commerce research within social and developmental contexts. Although the analysis reveals important thematic and conceptual trends, the results should be interpreted in light of existing regional concentrations in the literature, particularly the strong representation of case studies from China and other emerging economies.

Keyword co-occurrence

To explore the conceptual structure and thematic organization of the scholarship that exists in the two bibliometric fields, e-commerce and social capital, and e-commerce and community development, keyword co-occurrence analysis was performed. This method determines the frequency and proximity of keywords in the literature, which can reveal the primary research themes, conceptual relations, and new intellectual trends. The comparative keyword co-occurrence networks for the two bibliometric queries are shown in Figure 2.

The co-occurrence structure in e-commerce and social capital research areas is shown in Figure 2a. The network is very well structured around themes of trust, social networks, online interactions, consumer behavior, and digital communities. The high centrality of terms referring to reciprocity, participation, and online engagement suggests that a significant portion of the literature views e-commerce platforms as socially situated digital environments where relations can be built, interactions can occur, and participation in networks can take place. Such results are in line with the social commerce and digital trust literature, which highlights the role of peer interactions and relationship exchanges within online marketplaces.

Studies on digital commerce ecosystems in China, including Taobao Villages, have a geographical focus, reflected in the high number of studies on China and related terms such as rural villages or urbanization. The literature on such digitally facilitated local economies often depicts them as processes of increased market inclusion, local entrepreneurship, and social capital building. Simultaneously, the emergence of concepts of agglomeration and electronic commerce companies highlights the increasing academic interest in the changing of local social relationships in the new, globalized digital economy. This suggests a growing conflict in the literature between digitally facilitated economic integration and locally based social relations.

The co-occurrence structure of keywords for research on e-commerce and community development is shown in Figure 2b. This network is more focused on themes of sustainability, digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, economic participation, and local development than on the socially relational orientation in Figure 2a. The frequent appearance of concepts such as rural development, finance, inclusive socioeconomic transformation, and urban development indicates that e-commerce is increasingly seen as a tool for inclusive economic growth and empowerment at the community level. These results are consistent with previous research that views e-commerce as a means to entrepreneurship, market access, and socioeconomic mobility, especially in developing and emerging economies.

Themes related to digital finance, participation, and trust further suggest a growing connection between e-commerce ecosystems and financial inclusion and participation mediated through digital means. The presence of keywords linked to privacy issues, distributed computing, and infrastructure constraints underscores the ongoing structural obstacles faced by digitally marginalized groups. These patterns suggest that, although e-commerce possesses substantial potential to support community-oriented development and reduce digital disparities, its effectiveness remains highly dependent on enabling conditions, such as digital literacy, technological infrastructure, institutional support, and equitable access to digital resources.

The comparative keyword co-occurrence structures reveal that research in both areas has viewed e-commerce as more than just a transactional exchange; it has gradually shifted toward more social and developmental roles. However, the thematic focus is quite different in the two domains. The literature on e-commerce and social capital centers on the creation of trust, online communication, and digitally mediated social relations, whereas the literature on e-commerce and community development centers on sustainability, economic involvement, digital inclusion, and local development processes. These findings demonstrate the growing interdisciplinary nature of e-commerce scholarship and its increasing inclusion in broader social and developmental discourses.

Temporal analysis

To analyze the change in research themes and intellectual priorities over time in the two bibliometric domains, a temporal analysis was performed. The comparative temporal evolution of themes within e-commerce and social capital research and e-commerce and community development research is shown in Figure 3. The results indicate a significant surge in research interest since 2016 and a further boost in the period around and following the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the growing significance of digital commerce in broader social and developmental change.

The temporal evolution of the themes from the e-commerce and social capital domains is shown in Figure 3a. Previous scholarship was mostly grouped into the areas of trust, online communities, social interaction, and consumer behavior, indicating that early research interest was largely focused on the relational aspects of online commerce. In the early stages of the field, e-commerce was largely defined as a digitally mediated space in which the nature of interaction, reciprocity, and participation in networks influenced how users interacted and how they behaved as online transactors.

The thematic focus of this domain has evolved from a purely transactional focus to more general questions of digitally mediated participation, social connectivity, and platform-based interaction over time. As themes related to digital ecosystems and online communities have become more visible, e-commerce scholarship has increasingly examined digital commerce as a socially located space that shapes interaction, identity, and community participation. This shift demonstrates the increasing emphasis on social and technological views in digital commerce research.

Figure 3b shows the evolution of themes in the e-commerce and community development domain over time. This domain shows a greater thematic focus on sustainability, digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, economic participation, and local development than the social focus shown in Figure 3a. Previous research in this area tended to be more economic in nature, focusing on market expansion and economic modernization; more recent research also considers inclusive development, digital accessibility, and community resilience.

The temporal evolution also shows an increasing tendency toward policy orientation in this area. Themes such as digital infrastructure, financial inclusion, rural transformation, and community empowerment have grown in significance since 2016, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift suggests that digital commerce is no longer viewed solely as a mechanism of economic exchange but increasingly as a strategic component of local development, crisis adaptation, and digitally enabled socioeconomic transformation.

In contrast, a temporal analysis reveals that these two research fields developed along different but related intellectual paths. While the e-commerce and social capital literature coalesced around issues of trust formation, online interaction, and digitally mediated social relationships, the e-commerce and community development literature grew more robust in addressing sustainability, digital inclusion, and local economic transformation. These patterns collectively reflect the increasing interdisciplinary nature of the field of e-commerce and its integration into debates on digital society and inclusive growth.

Citation analysis

A citation analysis was conducted to identify the intellectual foundations and influential scholarly works shaping the two bibliometric domains. The analysis of highly cited works and citation relationships reveals the prevailing theoretical perspectives, disciplinary influences, and knowledge structures that have shaped the development of research on e-commerce and social capital, as well as on e-commerce and community development. The comparative citation structure for the two queries in bibliometrics is shown in Figure 4.

The citation structure in the e-commerce and social capital domains is shown in Figure 4a. The network shows a strong intellectual focus on research into trust formation, online interaction, digital participation, and socially embedded commerce. The most-cited works in this space stem from information systems, social commerce, and digital trust scholarship, which is a testament to the fundamental role of trust and interaction in facilitating research in digitally mediated exchange environments. Studies of online trust, social interaction, and participation via technology support the notion of e-commerce as not only a transactional system but also a social-relational ecosystem in which communication, reciprocity, and network participation play significant roles.

The citation structure also indicates the interdisciplinary nature of this research stream with the incorporation of aspects of information systems, communication studies, consumer behavior, and social capital theory. Trust-centered scholarship indicates that the intellectual trajectory of this field has been heavily shaped by attempts to account for how social relations, traditionally associated with face-to-face interactions, are reproduced, transformed, or mediated in digital environments. Thus, trust becomes a fundamental organizing principle that connects digital commerce with broader discourses on social engagement and online community building.

The citation structure in the e-commerce/community development domain is shown in Figure 4b. The citation network shown here, in contrast to that in Figure 4a, shows higher clustering around technological innovation, sustainability, local transformation, entrepreneurship, and socioeconomic development. These are often highly cited studies in this space that focus on how digital commerce can help reduce constraints on economic participation, increase access to markets, and enable digitally supported development processes at the local/regional levels.

The citation structure also reveals a growing association between e-commerce research and other topics, such as sustainable development, digital transformation, and community resilience. Within this field, influential studies are emerging that view digital platforms as tools for adapting locally, diversifying the economy, and implementing digitally mediated development strategies. Concurrently, the emphasis on technology- and policy-oriented scholarship indicates that the potential of e-commerce for development is often viewed through the lens of infrastructure capacity, institutional support systems, and governance.

Citation analysis reveals that the two bibliometric fields have distinct but related foundations. E-commerce and social capital literature is largely grounded in theories of trust, interaction, and digitally mediated social relationships. In contrast, e-commerce and community development literature is more firmly rooted in theories of sustainability, technological transformation, and local economic development. The combined effect of these citation patterns highlights the growing interdisciplinary nature of e-commerce research and the way in which e-commerce scholarship is becoming interwoven with wider social, technological, and developmental discussions.

Detailed analysis of most relevant sources

Studying the most pertinent academic sources enables the identification of the disciplinary orientations and intellectual bases that inform scholarship in both bibliometric areas. Figure 5 shows the comparative distribution of the top publication sources that have contributed to research on e-commerce and social capital, as well as e-commerce and community development. The source structures highlight the growing interdisciplinary character of e-commerce scholarship and show how various academic traditions approach the social and developmental implications of e-commerce.

The most important publications in the e-commerce and social capital domains are shown in Figure 5a. The high visibility of journals such as the Information Systems Journal, Electronic Commerce Research, and Computers in Human Behavior indicates that this stream of research has developed mainly around technologically mediated interpretations of trust, participation, and online social engagement. The intellectual focus of this domain has long centered on digitally embedded interactions; e-commerce is not just a transactional system but an environment for relationship formation, reciprocity, and networked participation.

The presence of digitally focused, interaction-oriented publication venues also suggests that online trust, social connectivity, and platform-mediated communication are strong concerns within this field of scholarship. This trend indicates an increasing convergence between social commerce research and research on digital ecosystems, online communities, and, more broadly, technologically mediated social relations.

The top publication sources in the e-commerce and community development fields are shown in Figure 5b. This publication structure is more oriented toward sustainability studies, rural development, entrepreneurship, socioeconomic transformation, and development policy, as opposed to the socially relational orientation in Figure 5a. The prominence of journals such as Journal of Rural Studies, Sustainability, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change suggests that digital commerce research is increasingly being integrated into broader debates surrounding inclusive growth, local economic resilience, and digitally enabled development.

The intellectual focus of this domain is increasingly pointing toward e-commerce as a means of local economic engagement, digital inclusion, and community-level change. The high number of development-oriented publication outlets indicates growing scholarly interest in understanding how digital commerce is transforming local economies, enabling entrepreneurial engagement, and supporting socioeconomic adaptation and transformation in rural and urban areas.

The source structures show that different but related intellectual orientations influence the two bibliometric domains. While the e-commerce and social capital literature is largely technologically mediated in its approach to trust, interaction, and participation online, the e-commerce and community development literature is much more shaped by discourses of sustainability, development, and socioeconomic transformation. These publication trends combine to demonstrate the increasing interdisciplinary nature of e-commerce scholarship and its growing interconnection with other debates about digital society, inclusive development, and technologically mediated social change.

Thematic mapping and clustering

Thematic maps (Figure 6) illustrate the conceptual structure and evolution of research themes across the two bibliometric domains. Thematic mapping analysis categorizes themes by centrality and density, helping to identify motor, niche, basic, and emerging or declining themes within the field’s intellectual structure. This helps to understand the maturity and strategic relevance of thematic clusters that are driving the development of e-commerce scholarship.

The thematic structure of research on e-commerce and social capital is shown in Figure 6a. The map indicates that the concepts of trust, social capital, online interaction, and digital communities are prominent in the domain’s intellectual structure. These themes are located in the central parts of the map, indicating that the literature has become conceptually rich in understanding the processes of trust formation, social participation, and relational interaction in online commercial environments via digital means. These themes serve as conceptual anchors for the topics of digital commerce and, more generally, social and technology-mediated participation.

The thematic structure also shows a growing number of social commerce research themes related to consumer behavior, online engagement, and platform-based interactions. The motor-theme region features digitally mediated participation and social networking themes, reflecting the shift from purely transactional views of e-commerce to more socially embedded views of digital exchange ecosystems. Meanwhile, niche and emerging themes indicate ongoing diversification of the literature, including platform economies, digital identity, and new forms of online social interaction.

The thematic structure of research on e-commerce and community development is shown in Figure 6b. This thematic structure is more strongly oriented toward sustainability, digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, rural development, and socioeconomic transformation, as opposed to the socially relational structure shown in Figure 6a. The central and well-developed areas of the map show that themes of community development are becoming increasingly central to understanding e-commerce as a means of inclusive growth, local economic participation, and digitally enabled development.

The thematic configuration also shows how e-commerce research is increasingly part of the discussion on sustainability and development. In the conceptual structure, the themes related to local development, financial inclusion, resilience, and digital infrastructure are strategically positioned, indicating that the literature is increasingly considering digital commerce as part of broader socioeconomic transformation processes. Other themes emerging in this domain are increasing scholarly interest in the problems of technological inequality, digitally marginalized populations, and the uneven developmental consequences of digital transformation.

In contrast, the thematic maps reveal that the two bibliometric fields have developed different but related conceptual directions. The e-commerce and social capital literature mainly focuses on trust, online interaction, and digitally mediated social participation. In contrast, the e-commerce and community development literature is more strongly oriented toward sustainability, digital inclusion, and local economic transformation. These thematic constructs reflect the growing complexity of concepts in e-commerce scholarship and the way in which it has become part of the wider social and developmental discourse.

Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA)

Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was used to explore the higher-order conceptual organization of themes within the two bibliometric domains. MCA allows keywords to be grouped in a multidimensional conceptual space to visualize conceptual proximity. Comparative conceptual structure maps from the MCA analysis of research on e-commerce and social capital, and on e-commerce and community development, are shown in Figure 7. The analysis shows how dominant themes cluster and demonstrates the field’s overall cognitive structure.

Figure 7a shows the conceptual structure map of research on e-commerce and social capital. There is a high degree of clustering around themes such as trust, online interaction, social networks, consumer behavior, and digital communities. These themes are clustered in the conceptual space, indicating that the literature views e-commerce primarily as a socio-constructed digital space characterized by interaction, reciprocity, and technologically mediated participation. The clustering pattern further indicates that trust serves as a central conceptual bridge between digital commerce and broader discussions of online engagement and networked social relations.

The MCA also indicates an increasing overlap between social commerce research, platform interaction studies, and digitally mediated communication scholarship. Themes of participation, digital connectivity, and online communities are conceptually closely related, reflecting the growing intellectual focus on the relational and interactional aspects of digital commerce. Meanwhile, the fragmentation of several peripheral clusters signals continued thematic development in the area, with increasingly dynamic platform landscapes and new practices of digitally mediated social behavior.

Figure 7b shows the conceptual structure map of the research on e-commerce and community development. The conceptual structure in the figure differs from that in Figure 7a, which was more socially relational and was more strongly oriented toward sustainability, entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, rural development, economic participation, and socioeconomic transformation. The close conceptual relationship between these themes suggests that the interpretation of digital commerce as a mechanism for community development is growing and is related to processes of local development, inclusive economic participation, and digitally enabled transformation.

The literature also seems to increasingly incorporate e-commerce research into the broader discussion of digital transformation and community resilience, given the conceptual proximity among themes related to sustainability, financial inclusion, infrastructure, and development. The MCA design also emphasizes the multifaceted nature of this area, with technological, economic, and developmental dimensions intertwined within broader debates about digitally enabled social and economic transformation.

The MCA results indicate that the two bibliometric domains are structured around different and related conceptual structures. The e-commerce and social capital literature is largely organized around themes of relationality, interaction, and trust. In contrast, the e-commerce and community development literature is more focused on sustainability, development, and socioeconomic transformation. These conceptual frameworks indicate the growing interdisciplinary nature of e-commerce scholarship and its incorporation into wider technological, social, and developmental debates.

Discussion

This study contributes to the existing literature by comparatively analyzing the intellectual and conceptual relationships between e-commerce and social capital, and between e-commerce and community development, from a bibliometric perspective. Unlike previous reviews, which adopted a technology or market perspective on digital commerce, this study outlines the conceptual evolution of digital commerce research in socially relational and development-oriented studies from 2001 to 2025. The findings show that although e-commerce is slowly gaining attention as a tool to support economic participation, digital interaction, and community transformation, the representation of the literature is unevenly distributed in terms of region, and disciplinary boundaries do not always help to integrate the existing literature, particularly in relation to social, developmental, and sustainability-oriented perspectives.

Taken together, these findings directly answer the research questions by showing how the two research streams have evolved along related but distinct intellectual trajectories. The e-commerce and social capital stream is mainly organized around trust, online interaction, digital participation, and networked relationships, whereas the e-commerce and community development stream is more strongly associated with sustainability, entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and local economic resilience. This comparative pattern clarifies how digital commerce is theorized both as a market-expanding mechanism and as a relational infrastructure shaping social capital, community development, and inclusive digital growth.

This research contributes theoretically and by identifying thematic and publication trends by conceptualizing e-commerce as a socio-technical system that both creates and is created by, and at the same time reshapes, market participation, digitally mediated interaction, and community-level transformation. The current study contrasts the formation of intergenerational trust with the potential of digital participation to foster local economic transformation and the development of a sustainability orientation, using a comparative conceptual approach that differs from previous narrative and region-specific reviews, which describe isolated relationships within narrow contexts (; Qi et al., 2018; Ratten, 2025). The study results also indicated that digital commerce is increasingly a relational infrastructure through which digitally mediated modes of bridging and bonding social capital are created, negotiated, and modified (Shpigelman, 2017; Putnam, 2000; ). This integration builds upon previous conceptualizations by considering e-commerce as a mechanism of economic activities. However, it is a relational infrastructure that helps mediate community empowerment and sustainable development (Rahman, 2024; UNCTAD, 2023).

The bibliometric findings can be interpreted more explicitly through social capital theory, particularly the distinction between bridging and bonding social capital. In Putnam’s framework, bridging social capital refers to outward-looking ties that connect individuals and groups across wider social, economic, and geographical boundaries, whereas bonding social capital refers to inward-looking ties rooted in close relationships, shared identity, local trust, and community cohesion (Putnam, 2000; Phulari et al., 2010). Coleman’s emphasis on trust, norms, and obligations further helps explain why e-commerce should not be understood only as a market mechanism but also as a relational environment in which social ties are reorganized ().

The keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and MCA results suggest that e-commerce scholarship has increasingly emphasized bridging social capital. Themes such as digital inclusion, online interaction, entrepreneurship, market access, platform participation, and social networks indicate that digital platforms are often studied as mechanisms through which individuals, small enterprises, and communities connect to wider markets and external networks. This aligns with Granovetter’s argument on the value of weak ties, as e-commerce platforms may enable actors to move beyond geographically bounded networks and access new information, customers, resources, and opportunities (Lyu et al., 2022; ). In this sense, e-commerce expands bridging social capital by creating digitally mediated connections across regions, communities, and market systems.

However, the findings also reveal a more complex and unresolved relationship between e-commerce and social bonding capital. The recurring themes of trust, community interaction, rural transformation, and local development suggest that digital commerce is not detached from local relationships. Instead, platform-based participation may reshape how trust, reciprocity, and cohesion are maintained within communities (Majee and Hoyt, 2011; ). On the one hand, e-commerce may strengthen social bonding capital when local producers, community enterprises, and rural entrepreneurs use digital platforms collectively to sustain livelihoods and reinforce shared economic goals. On the other hand, digital commercialization may weaken social bonding capital if face-to-face exchanges, informal support systems, and locally embedded market relations are displaced by platform dependency, algorithmic visibility, or external market pressures (; Pitas and Ehmer, 2020). Therefore, the bibliometric evidence does not suggest a simple positive or negative effect of e-commerce on social capital. Rather, it indicates a tension between the expansion of bridging capital and the possible reconfiguration of bonding capital. Digital platforms may connect communities outward while simultaneously changing the internal relational foundations through which community trust and cohesion are reproduced. This tension is particularly important for sustainability-oriented community development because inclusive digital growth depends not only on market access and technological adoption but also on the preservation of locally embedded trust, reciprocity, and social continuity (UNCTAD, 2022, 2023).

The findings indicate that e-commerce extends beyond transactional exchange by facilitating access to markets, entrepreneurship, and digitally mediated participation, particularly in rural and developing contexts (Kumar, 2021; Shaikh et al., 2022; Pearce, 2024). Digital commerce may enhance community resilience and economic participation through expanded access to external markets and digitally enabled social interaction (; Lyu et al., 2022). However, the effectiveness of these processes remains context-dependent and shaped by local institutional and social conditions.

A temporal analysis shows that the pandemic has attracted increased interest in digital access and highlights the digital divide as a major issue (OECD, 2020). E-commerce platforms create opportunities for broader access; however, structural inequalities in infrastructure, connectivity, and digital literacy continue to limit meaningful participation (Khanal et al., 2021; ). Markets operating on digital platforms can perpetuate socioeconomic inequalities prevalent in their analog predecessors without context-sensitive interventions (). These results highlight the importance of context-sensitive solutions for digital inclusion, which involve investments in infrastructure and locally tailored literacy and training programs (Leong et al., 2016). However, empirical evidence from various studies is largely descriptive, leaving the long-term efficacy of these interventions untested.

The observed regional and thematic trends show how the maturity of infrastructure and institutional priorities affect research output and its visibility. The high number of studies on China suggests areas where state-led digital ecosystems have generated valuable datasets and organized e-commerce initiatives (; Zang et al., 2023). Meanwhile, the lack of focus on bonding social capital and relational continuity at the community level suggests a greater interest in scale, market integration, and growth models driven by technology and digitalization (). Therefore, the findings suggest the need for more context-sensitive and culturally grounded models of digital development that incorporate social cohesion, institutional diversity, and localized community realities into discussions surrounding e-commerce expansion (Majee and Hoyt, 2011; ). The regional concentration observed in the literature should therefore be interpreted as a bibliometric visibility pattern rather than evidence of the global distribution of e-commerce impacts. While China-focused studies are prominent because of well-documented rural e-commerce initiatives, platform-based entrepreneurship, and state-supported digital ecosystems (Qi et al., 2018; ; Zang et al., 2023), the relative absence of studies from Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and other low-infrastructure contexts limits the field’s ability to explain how digital commerce operates under different governance, infrastructural, and community conditions (; ; Khanal et al., 2021).

Although the potential of e-commerce as an economic driver is recognized, the literature remains limited in terms of environmental and social sustainability. Thematic maps suggest that sustainability and urbanization have recently become prominent and are still on the fringes of prevailing economic discourses. However, along with the rise in e-commerce, environmental costs such as higher logistics activity and emissions have emerged (Li and Song, 2025). Moreover, digitally mediated commerce may change or replace the traditional marketplace, which had previously served as a space for social interaction and local exchange (Wang and Ng, 2020). These patterns indicate that dominant narratives surrounding digital inclusion and economic modernization frequently underemphasize the ecological, cultural, and community-level consequences associated with rapid platform expansion. Future research should use integrated approaches that connect sustainability indicators to community quality of life, enabling a broader evaluation of the multidimensional effects of digital commerce on sustainability.

Trust is an emerging theme and an integral part of the literature, as per and Putnam (2000) on social capital. Digital trust (e.g., secure payment systems, customer reviews, and platform transparency) is crucial for virality (). However, technological trust mechanisms cannot fully replace generic institutional and social trust. The different levels of trust available in various digital ecosystems are still influenced by regulatory discrepancies in areas of privacy, consumer protection, and data governance (UNCTAD, 2023). Future research should therefore examine how technological design, governance structures, regulatory systems, and community norms interact in the co-production of trust across different digital environments.

This study contributes theoretically by extending social capital theory to digitally mediated commercial environments. The traditional theory of social capital (; Putnam, 2000) emphasizes face-to-face trust and localized reciprocity. However, the findings suggest that digital platforms increasingly facilitate hybrid forms of bridging and bonding capital through algorithmically mediated trust, platform-based interactions, and virtual collaboration mechanisms. This extension broadens the explanatory scope of social capital theory by demonstrating how collective participation, trust formation, and social connectedness are increasingly negotiated within digitally mediated socioeconomic environments.

Implications of research

Policy implications

To utilize e-commerce for community development, policymakers must work to close the digital divide by expanding equitable access to Internet infrastructure in rural and underserved areas. Strategic public-private partnerships should be fostered to enhance digital literacy and ensure affordable access to digital tools, thereby enabling marginalized populations to participate meaningfully in the digital economy (; ; Khanal et al., 2021). In addition, strong regulatory frameworks are needed to protect data privacy, extend consumer protection, and secure key components of digital transactions, thereby fostering trust in online marketplaces (; O’Sullivan et al., 2021). Policy frameworks must be context-grounded. A model that works in state-supported digital ecosystems in China may not work in regions with weak institutional capacity or fragmented markets. Sustainability is paramount in e-commerce design. This entails initiatives that create incentives for green logistics and the circular economy, leading to low-carbon initiatives (Li and Song, 2025).

Research implications

Future studies should investigate the impact of e-commerce platforms on bridging and bonding social capital in communities. This involves examining ways for digital marketplaces to sustain localized trust networks while allowing more extensive transregional economic networks in rural and marginal contexts (; Shpigelman, 2017; ). Comparative studies across regions, such as Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, are needed to highlight context-specific challenges and opportunities in response to the current China-regional bias (Qi et al., 2018; ; ). Given the dominance of Chinese case studies, future research should empirically test whether similar sociotechnological mechanisms apply to various governance and infrastructure contexts. Sustainable e-commerce models require interdisciplinary research to develop, implement, and evaluate them to enhance environmental stewardship and social equity. Interdisciplinary studies should be conducted in such a way that digital commerce serves to strengthen, rather than create, new forms of exclusion from the labor market. Community resilience and sustainable resource use should be guaranteed through sustainable e-commerce ().

Beyond social capital perspectives, future research should engage with complementary theoretical frameworks to better capture the interdisciplinary dynamics of digital commerce. Institutional theory helps clarify how regulatory environments and governance structures shape the development of e-commerce ecosystems across regions (), whereas innovation diffusion theory explains how communities adopt and integrate digital technologies over time (; ; Liang et al., 2024). In addition, platform ecosystem perspectives provide analytical lenses for understanding how digital markets coordinate interactions among firms, consumers, and community actors (Oborn et al., 2019; ). Merging these theories will strengthen the conceptual anchoring of studies exploring the links between e-commerce, social capital, and community development.

Practical implications

E-commerce platforms can play a vital role in providing tailored capacity-building initiatives for rural and marginalized entrepreneurs, such as digital literacy training and user-friendly tools Leong et al., (2016). According to , Putnam (2000), and , features that build trust, such as secure payment gateways, transparent product information, and responsive customer feedback systems, are essential in inclusive digital marketplaces. To foster sustainability and local economic empowerment, collaboration among e-commerce businesses, local authorities, and community-based organizations is essential for creating an inclusive digital ecosystem. The sustainability outcomes and economic benefits of community e-commerce projects can be further enhanced by incorporating green delivery methods and recycling. The implementation of such measures can bridge divisions and fortify local trust networks, thereby enhancing long-term resilience.

Proposed conceptual framework

E-commerce as a catalyst for inclusive community development

The proposed conceptual framework considers e-commerce as a social engineering tool through which economic, social, and institutional processes interact to shape community development (Figure 8). This framework does not merely consider e-commerce as an economic tool but also as a relational tool that links various dimensions, such as economic empowerment, social capital formation, digital inclusion, sustainability, and policy. This view aligns with the socio-technical systems perspective, which considers the co-evolution of technological infrastructure and social structures.

E-commerce has the potential to become an enabling infrastructure that links structural conditions to developmental outcomes. It allows access to markets, information flows, and networked exchanges, thereby helping to economically empower individuals. In this context, economic empowerment refers to increased income opportunities, entrepreneurial engagement, and incorporation into wider value chains (; Scheerder et al., 2017). Notably, the framework recognizes that such reinforcement does not operate independently but is influenced by social capital. The two-way association between economic empowerment and social capital demonstrates how material opportunities are intertwined with trust-based relational networks (Putnam, 2000; ). The study found that increasing engagement in the digital market can create strong bridging ties. However, this is possible with the help of existing social structures (Majee and Hoyt, 2011; ).

Simultaneously, e-commerce is closely linked to digital inclusion, which is a vital enabling condition for equitable participation in the digital economy. Digital inclusion refers to access to infrastructure, digital literacy, and the possibility of meaningful digital use (Scheerder et al., 2017). The framework views digital inclusion as both a driver and an outcome of e-commerce development, as increased engagement with platforms may catalyze more investments in infrastructure and skills development (UNCTAD, 2023). When inclusiveness occurs through digital interactions, social capital may increase as a result of greater interaction across geographical and social boundaries ().

The dimension of sustainability interacts with economic empowerment and e-commerce; that is, it complements them as a structural dimension. In this framework, sustainability is not just about the environment but also about economic and social viability and resilience. E-commerce can facilitate the sustainable distribution of resources and support local production systems while reducing transaction inefficiencies. When the future of the community is sustained, e-commerce-based growth influences the extent to which e-commerce-based advancements bring durable benefits to the community (UNCTAD, 2022).

A major mediating element in the framework is policy intervention, which acts as an institutional mechanism through which e-commerce-related issues translate into community-wide outcomes. Policy interventions include regulatory frameworks, investments in digital infrastructure, and capacity-building interventions that shape and define how e-commerce systems operate (; ). The impacts depend on such governance structures, which determine access, equity, and the sharing of benefits across various sections of the population.

Finally, community development is defined as an outcome of process links, indicating an increase in economic well-being, social cohesion, and collective resilience (Khanal et al., 2021; ). The framework suggests that community development does not arise directly from e-commerce but from the interaction between economic empowerment and the social, digital, sustainable, and policy environments. The systems perspective acknowledges the role of e-commerce as a driver, which is inherently intertwined with a configuration of reinforcing and constraining factors.

Notably, the framework recognizes the tensions that exist between them. E-commerce can create external networks that improve bridging social capital, while at the same time reducing the bonding capital rooted in localized, face-to-face interactions (Pitas and Ehmer, 2020). Likewise, unequal levels of digital inclusion may reinforce existing inequalities, thus limiting the distributional gains from economic empowerment. The aforementioned dynamics imply that policymaking must be context-sensitive and reaffirm that e-commerce development is neither universal nor inclusive.

The framework proposed in this study contributes significantly to the existing literature by integrating economic, social, and institutional dimensions into an analytical framework. It explains how e-commerce is a sociotechnological system that shapes and is shaped by other development processes. The framework’s explicit linkage of digital participation with trust, inclusion, and sustainability can provide a robust basis for subsequent empirical research and policy development for inclusive digital growth.

Limitations and future research

This study has several limitations. First, there is a discernible regional bias toward Chinese and East Asian case studies, which limits the comparative understanding of other developing regions. A considerable amount of literature on technology and social capital is urban, with inadequate insights into digitally mediated trust and cooperation in rural and marginalized communities. The impact on bonding capital, identity, and everyday life has received little attention thus far. However, the economic and technological aspects of e-commerce have been examined more thoroughly than the social aspects. To address these gaps, it is necessary to conduct broader, cross-regional, and interdisciplinary studies that examine e-commerce as a sociotechnological and cultural process, rather than merely an economic one. Although this study identified regional concentration patterns in the literature, it did not conduct a dedicated country-level bibliometric analysis, such as country collaboration mapping or geographical co-authorship networks. This limits a more systematic understanding of how research visibility, institutional collaboration, and scholarly concentration vary across geographical contexts. Future bibliometric studies should therefore incorporate country-level and collaboration-based analyses to examine digital inequality, underrepresented regions, and the uneven global distribution of research on e-commerce, social capital, and community development.

One limitation of this study is that it employed bibliometric techniques (including keyword analysis and clustering) to assess the relationship between e-commerce and social capital. These methods may overlook important details regarding how social capital functions in actual communities. It is difficult to understand how e-commerce affects social relations and community trust without qualitative or direct empirical evidence. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of e-commerce on social capital, particularly in less-modernized or rural societies. By employing a mixed-methods methodology that integrates social network analysis with interviews, scholars may trace the transformations of bonding and bridging social capital in online communities over time, thereby gaining insights into the social dynamics of e-commerce. Additional research should explore the role of sustainability in e-commerce supply chains, particularly in regions with increasing environmental concerns. To understand how e-commerce aligns with the global sustainability agenda, we can conduct comparative case studies that probe standards and sustainable practices (such as carbon-efficient logistics) across varying regulatory environments. Research into strategies for digitally including low-infrastructure regions can inform the best practices that help close the digital divide. This can be beneficial for understanding the role of digital literacy training and infrastructure investment in e-commerce participation. The emergence of AI-based algorithmic trust systems and intelligent governance may further transform these dynamics. Future frameworks should investigate how these technologies align with and/or challenge existing models of digital inclusion and community trust.

Conclusion

This study analyzes the existing literature on the impact of e-commerce on community development. This illustrates that e-commerce, being dynamic and symbolic of empowerment, can empower some sections of a community while damaging other community relations when it clashes with the local context. Through bibliometric analysis, we mapped how e-commerce facilitates the bridging of social capital, links communities to global markets, and enables economic mobility in marginalized regions. Nevertheless, the study also warns that digital technology may reduce social capital as online forms of exchange replace local ones that sustain community identity. The results of the study show that e-commerce can play a crucial role in community development only if digital assets are shared equally among community members. It is necessary to eliminate or reduce the digital divide to prevent underserved communities from falling behind in the digital age. This study suggests that policymakers should promote regionally adaptive digital literacy programs, develop supportive infrastructure for e-commerce, and invest in it. Such initiatives may strengthen local resilience and support equitable and inclusive digital participation in the long term. In this study, further gaps in knowledge are identified, specifically the sociocultural impacts of e-commerce beyond rural China. Future research should employ comparative studies across diverse geographical and cultural contexts to evaluate how social capital bonding and bridging are reshaping e-commerce communities. In addition, it would be useful to develop quantitative metrics to capture these impacts and understand the social consequences of digital businesses. The present conceptual framework, namely, e-commerce powered by economic empowerment, social capital, digital inclusion, and sustainability, is designed to support the community’s long-term resilience and coherence. The contribution of this study is mainly theoretical and synthetic, as it synthesizes fragmented literature into a framework and clarifies how e-commerce and community development relate across the literature. The approach outlined can inform both research and policymaking in emerging and underserved regions. The bibliometric mapping used in this study serves as the basis for all interpretations rather than for empirical validation. Thus, the interpretation presented here should be read as an interpretive nuance of scholarship rather than a causal or evaluative claim.

Statements

Data availability statement

Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: the bibliographic datasets analyzed in this study were obtained from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The processed data and analytical materials supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to database licensing restrictions.

AK: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. AC: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. JB: Data curation, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. MA: Formal analysis, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. KS: Conceptualization, Data curation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. VR: Data curation, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. SP: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. MR: Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Funding

The author(s) declared that financial support was not received for this work and/or its publication.

Conflict of interest

The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declared that Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript. Grammarly and Paperpal were used to improve the grammar, spelling, and readability of the manuscript. The author(s) played a central role in the conception, data analysis, interpretation of results, and writing of the manuscript. The author(s) take overall responsibility for the contents of the manuscript.

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Summary

community development, digital divide, digital inclusion, e-commerce, economic empowerment, inclusive growth, platform economy, social capital

Kariveliparambil A, Csiszer A, Babu J, Ahmad MS, Saravanan K, Rajasekar V, Philip SR and Ranganathan M (2026) Toward inclusive and sustainable digital growth: linking e-commerce, social capital, and community development. Front. Sustain. 7:1877536. doi: 10.3389/frsus.2026.1877536

Teta Stamati, Harokopio University, Greece

Zeni Eka Putri, Andalas University, Indonesia

Halifa Haqqi, Universitas Slamet Riyadi, Indonesia

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