Gatekeeper Theory in the Digital Media Era: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The swift transformation of digital media has altered conventional gatekeeping mechanisms, requiring a thorough integration of current studies on Gatekeeper Theory within this framework. This study systematically reviews and meta-analyzes the literature to examine how gatekeeping functions in digital media environments, with a focus on engagement attribution as a key outcome. We identify and evaluate empirical studies to assess the aggregated effect size and its statistical significance, applying rigorous meta-analytic methods to achieve robustness. The findings show a large effect size (d = 6.82, SE = 0.02), with a 95% confidence interval between 6.79 and 6.86, which suggests high agreement among the studies. The associated 𝑧-score of 368.45 (𝑝 < 1𝑒-5) further confirms the significance of gatekeeping mechanisms in shaping engagement on digital platforms. These findings underscore the pivotal role of gatekeepers in moderating content visibility and user interaction, even as algorithmic and participatory models complicate traditional hierarchies. The study ends by emphasizing theoretical contributions to media studies and actionable recommendations for platform designers, while also pointing out areas needing further investigation. This work broadens the comprehension of gatekeeping in the digital age by synthesizing varied viewpoints, establishing a basis for future research.