Entrepreneurs are gradually discovering the metaverse's immense potential as it evolves into a virtual environment in which users interact with digital domains and one another. This study aims to explain the tangled patterns of research, collaborations, and thematic trends at the nexus of the metaverse and entrepreneurial activities. Using Scopus database collection, this bibliometric analysis investigates the intellectual landscape of the metaverse and its ties with the entrepreneurial sector from 2005 to 2023. The key findings show that there has been a large increase in publications after 2020, indicating an increased interest in the metaverse's impact on entrepreneurship. Collaboration and the variety of documents demonstrate a thriving worldwide research community. Thematic maps depict interwoven themes, emphasizing key topics like big data, block chain, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, as well as niche areas like human learning. This research contributes to a better understanding of the metaverse and its implications for entrepreneurship.
TopIntroduction
The metaverse, which was previously only a science fiction notion, has quickly evolved into a vibrant and expanding ecosystem in the startup scene or entrepreneurial world. The metaverse has shown great promise for new economic initiatives and technological innovations (Allam et al., 2022; Yaqoob et al., 2023). Thereby the visionaries and the entrepreneurs have quickly grabbed this opportunity by examining the metaverse's development within the entrepreneurial ecosystem from its early stages to its present status as a complex digital domain. From the metaverse's development, it is clear that it has gone far beyond virtual game environments and it has developed quickly from a theoretical idea to a thriving ecosystem for entrepreneurs (Weking et al., 2023; Yemenici, 2022). Although the idea of the metaverse has been around for a while, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, it attracted a lot of attention and undergone significant shifts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people suffered and looked for alternate means to interact, work, and socialize while maintaining social distancing mechanisms, and this led to an acceleration of the acceptance and development of virtual technology and virtual world (Arora & Sharma, 2023). The course of metaverse has been greatly influenced by entrepreneurs who have taken advantage of opportunities for business ventures and scientific breakthroughs. Entrepreneurs have been essential in expanding the uses of the metaverse, which has had a significant impact on a variety of industries, from commerce and education to entertainment and social interactions. The incorporation of advanced technologies, such virtual reality and blockchain, has helped to further popularise the metaverse and given entrepreneurs new opportunities to rethink ownership models, user experiences, and economic paradigms (Calandra et al., 2023). Furthermore, both established companies and up-and-coming entrepreneurs are interested in the metaverse because of its ability to cross boundaries and promote innovative social dynamics and collaboration. Entrepreneurs operating in this virtual world have to traverse a landscape that is constantly changing, much as the experiences it offers, from regulatory concerns to the need for improved privacy and security measures. The metaverse is still a dynamic place where entrepreneurs negotiate changing environments while addressing privacy and regulatory concerns, despite certain obstacles.
The term “metaverse,” which is wide and constantly changing, generally refers to a group virtual shared environment that is enabled by the internet and allows users to communicate with each other and a computer-generated environment (Dionisio et al., 2013; Sparkes, 2021). It is frequently explained as a shared virtual environment for collectives that arises from the fusion of virtual and actual reality. Users have access to a variety of activities in the metaverse, including gaming, socializing, working, studying, and even conducting business. The digital universe is dynamic and interconnected, with the goal of expanding upon and replicating elements of the real world in a virtual setting. Virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D technology, and social interaction are essential elements of the metaverse, which combines these elements to create an advanced and diverse digital environment (Arora & Sharma, 2022; Arora et al., 2023). This term has grown in popularity as technological developments carry us closer to a digital future that is more integrated and interconnected. It is a dynamic environment where people from all over the world may connect and collaborate, not only for fun but also for the work and business.