BookTok: The Future or The Downfall of Literature?

    Have you ever found yourself infatuated by a niche piece of media but can’t seem to find a community for it? Look no further than the social media that you have on your phone!

    When someone has an interest in something, it’s common to look for someone who has the same interest to discuss it. However, niche media with small fandom are often a struggle to be discussed online as not a lot of people know about them. With today’s technological and social media advancements, TikTok has become one of the biggest platforms for everyone to share their interest and find their community. Even the fans of the most niche films and music will most probably be able to find their fellow fans on this platform. From animal lovers to crocheters, from doctors, teachers, and engineers to NASA employees, everyone has a place to share their version of fun on TikTok. 

Then, how about the bookworms? Do they have a place in TikTok? Of course, they do!

Piles of French Novels (1887) by Vincent van Gogh

    The BookTok community, or the readers of TikTok, is one of the biggest communities on the platform. There are millions of videos boasting billions of views of people reviewing, recommending, or simply discussing books and characters lores. As fascinating and as useful as the community has been, some argue that the existence of BookTok has ruined their experience of reading and enjoying literature. BookTok is deemed as the root of many problems in the modern literature world. The creators in the community are often criticized for recommending books that are “low quality” and shallow. 

    BookTok has the tendency to popularize specific genres and tropes, such as generic romance novels surrounding the concept of friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers. This homogenization of literature limits makes it difficult for books in different genres and with different tropes to gain attention. Now, you may be wondering why this is a problem for readers. What is wrong with creators talking about the same genre of literature all the time and readers constantly consuming the same genre of literature?

By limiting the literature to only certain genres, BookTok has limited the theme, style, and overall reading experience. Many argue that this will consequently take away the richness, depth, and sophistication of literature. The rejection of criticism is also a common thing in BookTok. It’s not rare for creators to bash their audience when they are met with criticism about the book they recommend. This has led to the engagement between creators and audiences (readers) to be one-sided unless they are completely on the same page about something. Critical discussion about heavy and perhaps taboo issues in books are often avoided by creators since they see it as a form of criticism and invalidation of their opinions. 

    In reading, the culture of active and diverse reading should be upheld and preserved. While it is nice that we now have a giant community where people can talk about the literature they love, it’s important to remember that diversifying your reading is essential in enriching your perspective. Constantly feeding your brain with a certain genre of literature will narrow your reading and learning experience, further depriving you of the true joy and richness of reading.