Dear reader

Welcome back to another post where I share my(totally unsolicited but deeply passionate) opinions……wow shocker. This time, we will dive into the world of BookTok and Bookstagram. This corner of the internet scares me if I’m honest. It has me thinking,” Damn…Look at our humans, man!!” As amazing as these spaces are for discovering new books and connecting with other readers, it is a double-edged sword. Let’s talk about why.

Alright before getting into it, let’s talk about what BookTok and Bookstagram is. BookTok and Bookstagram are a community of book lovers who share their book reviews, TBRs, and reactions to popular books. It has the ability to give indie authors a platform or turn books that were fading way back into bestsellers. 

Instead of being negative right from the beginning, I’ll discuss the positives first. There are 3 main positives to it. The first is community building. I’ve seen articles stating that BookTok and Bookstagram have brought back an interest in reading. This is a fantastic thing, especially when we live in a world where we consume a lot of short-form content and spending most of our time on social media is easy. Secondly, it is a fun way of “discovering” books and finding new recommendations. When people talk about a book that they love, someone could also be interested in similar books in turn expanding their reading palettes . It also helps indie authors get published or helps people who want to write a book become authors like Lauren Roberts, the author of the Powerless trilogy, and Haley Pham(who is a YouTuber I love watching and she is currently writing her debut novel). My third reason for liking BookTok and Bookstagram is their global reach. The community of BookTok and Bookstagram have people from all over the world talking about their love for books and authors, and it promotes reading and literature on a global scale, which I love. 

I have more critiques for BookTok and Bookstagram than I do have positives about it. My first critique is trends over substance. If BookTok and Bookstagram say dance, we say how high it is (yes, that is a ‘The Office’ reference). Most of the time, books are trending not because they are well-written but because they fit a viral aesthetic or trope. There is no literary merit, only morally grey men and trauma. My next critique is surface-level takes: Deep thinking and analysis? We don’t know her. It feels like reading the blurb and putting together a review with no real critique, only “OMG, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK” or “HE’S SO PERFECT,” actually, he’s not, he should be in federal prison. Next is aesthetic over substance; the book covers are discussed more than what’s between the covers. It feels like, on Bookstagram especially, it’s not what you read but if your book cover looks pretty in your picture. I love pretty book covers, but If I want to read a book, I’ll still buy the “ugly” cover because I’m reading the pages, not the two pieces of cardstock. My only exception is if there are real people on the cover, cause helllllll nahhhhhh. Some books get ignored if they don’t have Instagram-worthy covers. In addition to that, books are now very commercialized: Sponsored content, brand deals, free ARCs, and Amazon storefront.

BookTok is not a fun hobby; it’s a marketplace. The creators are closer to marketers than readers(sorry, not sorry). It makes it difficult to trust a review when it’s attached to a promo code or an Amazon storefront. My fifth critique is that it’s ruining our ability to actually read. Everyone’s buying, color-coding them, and not reading them or DNF-ing 10 pages in. My reading goal for this year is to read 52 books. I chose this goal because one book for every week was a reasonable amount. I see people reading 200 books, and at that point, I’m like, okay, are you actually reading? And if you do, do you actually remember what you’re reading? There’s a pressure to read fast and often, and trends are turning reading into a race, not a self-care or relaxing experience. My biggest critique is that there is no intellectual engagement; the discussions on theme, style, context, critical reception, or morals are all MIA. While I love reading emotionally, you also have to read intellectually. Another critique is the lack of critical discussion. Some creators aren’t honest in their reviews, so they aren’t hated by the fandoms of that book. As a result, it ends up with nuanced discussions about problematic themes, weak writing, or harmful tropes drowned out by hype.

There is also a HEAVVYYYYY genre bias for romance, fantasy, and YA. In contrast, other genres are sadly swept under the books. I read mostly YA because I’m 17 and have no business reading adult books. But that’s not to say I don’t read books from other genres like politics, philosophy, history, or literary fiction that are age-appropriate. Last but not least, there is a lack of global diversity. Although I did say that BookTok and Bookstagram have a global reach, there’s always another side to the coin. That side is that many recommendations are U.S. or U.K.-centric, and books by authors from other regions or translations are sadly ignored. As a result, non-Western literature is usually sidelined. 

Now that I’ve critiqued BookTok and Bookstagram quite heavily, I want to add some constructive suggestions. My first suggestion is to promote mindful reading: Encouraging people to focus on personal connections with a book rather than what’s trending is amazing. This also leads me to my next point: to encourage depth by fostering conversations about themes, writing styles, and literary merit. My last suggestion is creating space for different reading spaces. Just like Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo hold space, we need to hold space for reading at various paces. I am a fast reader, but I need a break between books to enjoy them thoroughly. If it’s your vibe to read many books, and you get the book and love it, then you do. I read the Percy Jackson series in a week because I loved each book so much and wanted more. But after that, I didn’t read for a whole week to recollect myself. With BookTok and Bookstagram, it feels like a competition. Let everyone read at their own pace to get the complete joy of reading a book. 

 

At the end of the day, I love watching book content, and it’s an enjoyable time for me, but there are negatives to it that should be discussed. I love booktubers like Haley Pham and Jack Edwards. So, reader, at the end of the day, while BookTok and Bookstagram may be a pastel summery dreamland of beautiful bookshelves, they aren’t without cracks. It builds community, but it can also flatten conversation. It all comes down to how we use this tool. Next time you pick up a book, don’t be peer pressured into loving it because everyone else loves it. Happy reading!!

Happy reading,

Sarayu