Digital empathy in online communication: A systematic literature review
Abstract
The rapid development of digital technology has transformed how individuals communicate in modern society, reducing nonverbal cues essential for emotional understanding. Consequently, digital empathy defined as the ability to understand and respond to others’ emotions through digital media has gained increasing attention. This study aims to synthesize research trends and challenges related to digital empathy in online communication through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of peer-reviewed articles published between 2018 and 2026. The findings show that digital empathy research spans social media, online education, digital mental health, and human computer interaction. However, challenges remain, including limited nonverbal cues, emotional misinterpretation, and limitations of artificial intelligence in recognizing human emotions.
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