Booktok: to scroll or not to scroll?
TikTok is the most popular form of social media of all time, with different forms of content to cater to everyone’s needs. ‘Booktok’ which is made up of ‘bookfluencers’ that post videos and photos every day, entertaining the masses for every book-nerd worldwide. It may be their current read, a recent book haul or a tour of their bookshelf; booktok is a reader’s paradise. Or is it?
Many social media users believe that Booktok has been destroying the act of reading for years, specifically romantic novels. Many followers will often value a romance or romantasy book based on their level of ‘spice’. People will determine a book not by the cover, but by the amount of explicit sexual content of the book. I appreciate that this is down to personal preference, but when the book is judged heavily if it does/does not have enough sex in the storyline, (without having read any other information) is prejudice.
Some would argue that if they do not like to read about sexual acts, then this is important information when choosing your next read. It could also be described as another genre, and so someone would not say it’s unusual to have a preference - personally I would rather read a romance or fantasy over a self-help book. Nobody would criticise me for that (I would hope) so why should I feel confused when someone exclusively prefers extremely graphic mafia romances? It is simple that if you want to read something; you should! In the context of other countries, considering that in the world some people are not permitted to read at all, then we should be considering ourselves lucky that they have that freedom to read anything they would like.
On the other hand, just because we can read anything doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be a filter with drafts, fan-fiction or indie authors when being traditionally published. It is not an easy process to get your book into the mainstream media, however publishers are becoming very lenient and less thorough when it comes to producing books as much as they do. The book industry is obviously a huge business, and so it makes sense that since Booktok has drastically increased the fan-base, this would be proportionate with the amount of books available to meet the new demand. I personally think that this is positive as many authors through their social media popularity and presence have been able to make their book accesible to everyone that wouldn’t be possible through ordinary routes. For example, the Boys of Tommen series by Chloe Walsh recently had a massive surge because of social media, and I most likely would not have read these books without seeing them on Instagram. I have become incredibly grateful that Booktok highlighted these books to me, and so excited that this has allowed Chloe Walsh to continue the series up til now. Moreover, the Game Changers books that were also popularised by social media has allowed the author to pay for treatment for her Parkinson's condition. The ripple effect of having that platform has benefitted more readers. authors and publishers in more ways than we could imagine.
Personally, I believe that the more books in the world, the better. Whether it be extremely violent and graphic; wholesome and romantic; published by an experienced author or someone who has no clue how to write a book. It will forever be our decision to determine whether the book is worth being read or not, and that it up to every individual reader. Collectively, we can come together with specific tastes and make recommendations, but if we don’t like a book that has been presented through social media, we can always put it down and start a new one.
