Trending 14th November 2024 by Ava Grace

Is BookTok Actually Ruining Our Reading Habits?

Or making them better?

As I peel the round sticker off of my latest book purchase – ‘As seen on BookTok’ – I begin to wonder to myself if this is really what we are considering a selling point for literature.

New York Times bestseller stickers have been discarded in the back room of bookstores after being replaced by people’s recommendations on the internet. An opinion is an opinion, I guess, but does the enjoyment of a book always equate to the quality?

For those of you who aren’t on this side of TikTok, let me fill you in. BookTok is a corner of the app which took off during Covid. Here, creators make short videos recommending, discussing and reviewing books. Creators can engage with fellow readers through the comment section where thoughts can be discussed further. It’s almost like BookTube’s little sister.

Since the rise of BookTok, hundreds of books have ‘blown up’ on the app due to quick and fast exposure to readers.

This sounds like a really great thing and it is – for the most part. People are exposed to new books, what others think about them and it definitely encourages people to read more. Especially in our ever-so-digital world. So what is the problem?

@itsmadshope which of these is your favourite?! 🫶🏻 #booktok #bookrecommendations #romancebooktok #colleenhoover #colleenhooverbooks #bookreview #bookreviews #rankingbooks #booktokcommunity #MyBookCollection #tiktokbooks #BookLovers #tiktokbookclub #bookrecs #romancebooks #bookish ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

Well, of course, anyone can set up a TikTok account and recommend a book to millions of people. However, is that a very qualified opinion? Most likely not. And if you look at most reviews on BookTok, most recommendations are based on the reader’s enjoyment of the story. Which is important of course but it doesn’t always contain much literary value.

If we take, for example, novels by the author Colleen Hoover. Based on a majority of BookTok reviews, this writer seems to be the next best thing since the Brönte sisters. Since the beginning of BookTok, her books have consistently been shown in ‘Favourite Book’ videos.

Nonetheless, the books are not only lacking in plot and development of characters but the writing is cringey and a very hard read. And while my opinion is just about as worthy as anyone’s on BookTok, should these really be the qualities of books that are so hyped up?

As a result, these are the types of books that are becoming popular and getting people into reading, and as they often seem to lack much substance, critics are beginning to wonder if this is the downfall of decent literature. At least online, anyway.

@yannareads Oh to be able to read these again… #booktok #books #romance #bookreccomendations ♬ original sound – 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐄

Other books mentioned on TikTok that are actually decent pieces of fiction seem to not get as much traction on the app. As a result, these books don’t get the sticker. Which is a shame, because if people want to try to get into reading, or back into reading, they’re not being recommended good books.

However, BookTok does not have the power to completely remove quality writing and since the beginning of mass production of books, there have always been high and low-quality stories in circulation. It’s important to keep up with good sources of literary reviews and discussions, and take the recommendations of people who aren’t just promoting ‘viral’ books.

Without BookTok, reading may not be as popular as it has remained to be, especially with the younger generation. Reading something is better than not reading at all.

And, don’t get me wrong I am a sucker for a lighthearted romance. In saying that, I still appreciate when such books are well written. So no, I am not a BookTok hater, but I might be looking elsewhere for my next new favourite read.

Here are some of my favourite reads of the past few years that you may not find on BookTok: