Gatekeeping in the 21st century: The changing narrative

Abstract

Background: Gatekeeping theory was developed in the 20th century as a conceptual framework to aid in our understanding of the complex, multivariate factors that collectively affect communication. A number of theoretical frameworks have influenced interdisciplinary gatekeeping research, and their connections reveal differences in interdisciplinary discourse. Study purpose: The goal of this study is to identify new trends in research, theoretical gaps, and potential directions for further investigation by looking at the state of gatekeeping from 2000 to 2020. Design/Methodology: A structured methodology for reviewing the literature was used to identify pertinent studies in the electronic databases SCOPUS and Business Source Complete. A thorough search was conducted using the keywords gatekeeping, gatekeeper, gate, and contemporary gatekeeping. The PRISMA selection protocol helped me locate pertinent studies in peer-reviewed journals. Results: The results of the thematic analysis looked at topics like contributions to the field, intra- and cross-disciplinary analyses, and conceptualisation trends. The electronic search turned up 872 studies, of which 53 studies in 42 journals met the inclusion criteria. Conclusion: Overall, evidence from a review of the body of knowledge suggests that current gatekeeping approaches are fragmented and have not been combined into a comprehensive and cogent theory of gatekeeping to address all disciplines in the twenty-first century.