Books are the window to the soul. To read is to delve deep into the mind of an author and explore the depths of their consciousness. Writing is an art, a beautiful, professional, emotional medium of art that weaves classic tales and modern fantasies. This outlet is released in paper that is bound delicately by hand and organized with care before it is consumed by thousands, millions, who sing their praises or protest in hate. Such an outlet has been revolutionized and morphed to bend to the new generation thanks to the existence of the latest internet phenomenon, BookTok.
Now, if you’ve been anywhere on the internet, you know what TikTok is: a run-of-the-mill short-form content platform. It’s a place where people can share their interests, art, opinions, etc. in an overall safe space. One of the passions that are shared on this app are books! Every day, content creators come onto BookTok and share their opinions on books, authors, and genres for thousands, if not millions, of people. New authors have sprung into the limelight, Colleen Hoover (with hits such as It Ends With Us and November 9) and Ana Huang (the author of the Twisted series) being two notable examples.
This way of spreading books around did not always exist. BookTok only became “mainstream,” per se, in 2021, when the hashtag began to go viral (bookclb.com). Reading books with TikTok as an influence makes it seem more like a trend. Back when our teachers were in high school, things were a bit simpler. BookTok (social media in general, really) didn’t exist when they were in high school. Due to this absence, reading was more of a normal hobby. Now, it’s regarded as something egregious that happens in class, or it’s a bandwagon.
That already gives us a very strong difference between this generation and one’s past. Which only means there’s more to explore. For starters, how did books spread around? According to some of our lovely literature teachers, books were usually spread around away from technology. Books would be in the windows of stores, the backs of books would sprinkle in teasers, and even the news and talk shows would be on the scene when more popular books like Harry Potter began to emerge.
The genres that folks read back then were different, as well. Nowadays, the genres and categories of books are more diverse than they were “back in the day.” Generally, the consensus for favorite genres amongst older teachers was horror and thriller, think Stephen King and R.L. Stine. Some even mentioned true crime as a favorite, as well as fantasy, with the releases of Twilight and Lord of the Rings hitting the mainstream. Another genre that our teachers enjoyed was simply classic literature; To Kill A Mockingbird and the like.
The younger generation is a stark contrast. To start, the genre that is especially popular amongst the BookTok community is romance. Lots and lots of romance–cheesy, dark, and even retellings of old love stories have made a remarkable resurgence. Books such as The Love Hypothesis, Everything, Everything, and Red, White, & Royal Blue are three among what seems to be hundreds of examples of this trend. If we blast to the past, older readers seem to believe that this genre is and has been rather corny, believe it or not! When asked if they enjoyed romance books, our very own Mrs. Agan said it all. “[It’s] too cheesy for me… I just… can’t relate.”
To revisit a previous point, books are now, you guessed it, spread around BookTok, Bookstagram, and what have you. This is not without any public outcry, though, as is true with everything on the internet.. Yes, anyone can criticize and everyone has a right to, it’s important to note the differences between platforms and their attitudes towards certain books, notably the difference between BookTok and BookTube’s reactions to various books. Even some in the younger generation seem to agree. Another interviewee, a Junior Magnet student named Jackson Armona, commented, “I think I appreciated it more two years ago, because… I feel like it did the exact same thing that every other trend [on] TikTok [does]… it starts out well-meaning, and… nice. And then it evolves into… the stereotype of it.”
People also tend to criticize BookTok for being a place that’s not safe for the younger demographic, due to the contents of some popular literature being rather graphic. Our Magnet Coordinator, Mrs. Armona, had some interesting commentary about this. “When we’re talking about kids or teenagers, sometimes there is [simply] a concern [because]… these books often portray… a heightened sense of reality that really doesn’t exist.” As a parent, she shows great concern over children exploring the internet when these things are present without filters. To second this, she brings up the educational setting, where books that are read in schools can have some not-so-savory points within them, at the very least, it can be used to evaluate “the human psyche” as literature can “[explore] those themes” in an “incredibly intelligent” manner. But without the educational value, and the overly positive light that some of these books are put under, it can be seen as teenagers actively engaging with adult content, which can be seen as “unhealthy.”
But is it all bad? Other English teachers generally give it the thumbs up, as Mrs. Fowler puts it, “I think anything that’s going to get people… wanting to read… I agree with that, totally.” This effect that BookTok has is evident, as a freshman Kylie Gentry points out that seeing people endorse books on BookTok convinces her to read them wholeheartedly. Additionally, most interviewees stated that BookTok’s legacy would last beyond its lifespan if it were to dissipate. They proclaim that the effects will be everlasting, most notably with how many people take it seriously, and with how many legitimate careers that it has established. Mr. Rader said if BookTook ever did succumb to a deadly fate, people would go to talk about books by word of mouth again–that reading would never die.
BookTok is definitely a topic that turns some heads. The emotions towards this way of spreading the word about literature are clearly very strong. However, let this article make you think. Allow yourself to soak it in, maybe dive into some BookTok recommendations of your own and see what you can find. There are so many different universes just waiting to be discovered. All you have to do is turn the page.
