The World’s Largest Book Club, BookTok, Is Transforming Literature
If you walk into a bookstore, it’s impossible to miss the #BookTok sign.
You might find it tacked onto a table with novels that have gained traction on TikTok.
But what exactly is BookTok?
It’s the world’s largest book club; a virtual space where people come to share their creativity and thoughts about literature. But the platform is not without controversy.
TikTok’s algorithm caters to your interest. In the case of BookTok, if you are only interacting with fantasy-romance novels, that’s all you will get.
Still, a search bar does exist; if you’re dissatisfied with the lack of diversity on your For You Page, you can utilize it to broaden your horizons.
Now, people are reading books from cultures that they might not have known about before, such as Never Let Me Go by Japanese-British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro or Tender Is The Flesh by Argentinean writer Agustina Bazterrica.
Despite the range BookTok offers, some argue the platform is ruining literature by creating a fast fashion-like culture, where tropes like “enemies-to-lovers” or “forbidden romance” take precedence over good plots and well-developed characters. Authors know that readers enjoy these archetypes, so they use them to market and sell books.
Nonetheless, BookTok is an amazing tool. Novels that came out years ago have become overnight successes. New works can be promoted and become the next bestseller before they are released.
Think back to 2020, when some of the most popular books were The Song of Achilles (2011) by Madeline Miller, The Secret History (1992) by Donna Tartt and We Were Liars (2014) by E. Lockhart. None of these books were released in 2020, nor were they from the same genre, yet they gained tremendous popularity on TikTok.
Critics also accuse people on BookTok of reading performatively.
As stated in an article by Barry Pierce for GQ magazine, “the act of reading [is being] replaced by the act of being a reader.” TikToks often showcase people’s huge stacks of unread books and the desire to “romanticize reading” by going to a café rather than reading the book in a less glamorous setting.
However, this doesn’t negate someone’s status as a reader. If someone is reading books, they are a reader, regardless of where they read and how often they’re reading.
Many sports fans collect memorabilia, watch games and learn about sports, yet they don’t always play the pastimes they love. The same can be said of readers. Many bibliophiles collect special edition novels, watch book reviews and analyze writing, but they aren’t reading 24/7. That doesn’t make them any less of a reader.
Despite its criticisms, BookTok is transforming literature. The platform is giving a voice to those who haven’t been heard while reshaping the literary world.
