Tasnia Alam

Curiosities Editor

Photos via Glamour, @readingwithpapillons on TikTok & @emlbooks on Instagram

BookTok, which is a community of users on TikTok who are passionate about books and literature, is often credited having made reading popular again. Look around, and you’ll see more and more people reading books in public places, like on the metro, instead of scrolling on their phones. However, did BookTok actually bring back the habit of reading, or did it simply turn it into a new, passing trend? 

During quarantine, readers started posting  aestheticized videos of books accompanied with quotes and pictures to share their passion on TikTok. This included quick summaries, emotional reactions, and the discussion of various themes and tropes in novels. They used this platform to be their reader-esque self.

In the article “The Rise of BookTok: Meet the Teen Influencers Pushing Books up the Charts”, Alison Flood writes that readers “are sharing their passion for books with millions – bringing titles they love to life online and reshaping the publishing world, all in under a minute.” BookTok is even described as the last wholesome place on the internet. However, some people disagree.

In a video posted in February 2024, Youtuber Mina Le explores the effects of the “hotgirlification” of reading, the appeal of reframing intellect as an accessory. This phenomenon has reached its peak to the point that books have infiltrated multiple other spheres like the fashion industry. Le uses the examples of the Skall Studio Copenhagen Fashion Week show, in which all the models carried a book as a fashion accessory, and the comeback of thin-framed librarian-esque glasses. She critiques the use of books as props, especially online.

Books are very intertwined with the aesthetic of the readers. Their choice of book showcases what they believe in and who they are, conveying a projected ideal of intelligence. However when it’s used in photos on social media, it’s all about looking stylish — having the right outfits, the right knick-knacks scattered around, the right background, the right lighting. Everything is done to create “a reading scene”, according to a The ColdHealing Substack writer. Books are very easy to carry and place for photo-ops. Plus, they look great in photos. The aesthetic of it all is what brings more appeal to books, making reading seductive. 

This is where overconsumption comes into play. Readers often like to differentiate between reading books, buying books, and collecting books to justify their tall stacks. In spite of what they say, it’s still overconsumption. Many people — people who aren’t readers and readers who don’t consume much — think it’s a huge shame that readers are just collecting books for the aesthetic and not actually reading them, despite having decked-out shelves full of every kind of edition. What’s the point in having unread books? However, books have always served as status symbols and decoration pieces throughout the centuries. So who’s to say people aren’t actually reading them? The “bookshelf wealth” trend retaliated against these accusations, with readers showing their piles of read books to prove that buying this many books was not on their agenda and is not simply for show. According to Mina Le, BookTok is a “digital book club”. It is one that is very vulnerable and open minded. Readers share their visceral reaction by posting videos of them crying, screaming, giggling, kicking their feet, throwing up and dying (figuratively) over books. Some readers stay up late at night because their book’s plot is too captivating to wait for the morning to know what happens next, even if they have work or school the next day. BookTok allows readers to share their reading experiences, creating a community with a shared love. 

One of the biggest advantages of this internet corner is the fact that it has become a powerful marketing tool for authors, writers, and even for BookTok content creators, who can now make a living off reading and talking about books, like @larryreads on TikTok. It has become a tool that readers, authors, bookstores — big enterprises and some indie shops — and publishing companies explore immensely, as it proves to be a huge benefit for the publishing industry. Let’s take It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover for instance, as it’s one of the best examples demonstrating TikTok’s marketable impact. The book was first published in 2016 but only gained popularity in 2021. According to Elisavet Rozaki’s Reading Between the Likes: The Influence of BookTok on Reading Culture, where she quotes Stewart, the sales went up to 29 000 copies a week because of the attention BookTok brought to it. But why the sudden attention? Rozaki believes that the themes of the novel – family, abuse, and romance – spoke to many readers and is one of the main reasons it blew up on BookTok. She believes that women facing similar problems might have found a sense of comfort and relatability knowing they weren’t the only ones suffering. That’s something the bookish communities are known for. They seek relatable characters and situations. So, BookTok did in fact bring back reading, but it brought it back with its twists — some more positive than others. Some anti-intellectualists believe reading doesn’t go hand in hand with critical thinking anymore because of its popularity and categorization on TikTok. Nevertheless, in its own way, BookTok further encouraged reading as an activity that is culturally accomplished.