Recent Research Tendencies on the Use of Metaverse in the Realm of Digital Communication 

 
:Abstract
The present study provides an observation and evaluation of recent research trends on the utilization of the metaverse in the realm of digital communication, in both Arab and non-Arabic studies, spanning  from 2021 to 2024. The study aims to present an in-depth overview of such research tendencies, identify the most pivotal areas of interest, reveal the key topics that attract research attention, and determine the adopted theoretical and methodological frameworks. The study seeks to monitor the most important concluded results, outline a prospective vision and propose a research agenda through conducting a descriptive and analytical study based on the second-level survey and analysis approach alongside a methodological comparative approach by investigating a sample of published Arabic and non-Arabic research works. The study concludes that there is diversity in the research trends in this field, since the number of studies reached 114 studies, in which the non-Arabic school outnumbered the Arabic one by 93 studies versus 21 studies. The most prominent research tendencies included: digital communication practices in the metaverse environment, the metaverse as a new standard for social networks and virtual worlds, the communication behavior of users in the virtual world, the opportunities and challenges facing the use of the metaverse in the realm of digital communication, and forcasting the future of the digital communication industry in light of the effects of the use of metaverse technologies. The study also proposes a vision and future research agenda to develop research and studies in this field.