Maya Bortone

For as long as I can recall, reading was something that belonged to the ‘nerds’. The movies that I grew up with presented it as something that sycophants cast aside for popularity while shy introverts hugged their stories close and held a deeper beauty within. With the rise of BookTok, this message appears to have been spun on its head. Many people, regardless of social standing, race, gender or orientation, have rediscovered the joy of immersing in a new world. However, while this change at face value is most certainly beneficial for those of us involved in the arts and publishing, it does not come without its foibles. 

TikTok gained major popularity during the covid-19 lockdown in 2020, when the majority of young people had little to distract them from their phones. Social media, from its birth, has been an intriguing phenomenon that has led us to some fascinating – if not questionable – places. Indeed, even within the app itself we find ourselves cornered into specific niches, dependent on the all-mighty algorithm. One of these areas of TikTok has aptly been coined ‘BookTok’; a place where readers gather to share their thoughts, promote new work and present their aesthetically colour-coded bookshelves. The big question here is whether or not this surge in popularity over the years has actually been useful for the reading community. 

Those of us who like to indulge in a little doom scroll every now and then know that sometimes the ‘hot takes’ on TikTok are just not that hot. BookTok has been accused of regurgitating the same recommendations over and over, and focusing more on tropes than well-written prose – but the counter to this is that the algorithm shows you exactly what it thinks you want to see. What exactly is the issue then? There’s been a huge amount of discourse already on whether or not BookTok is harmful or beneficial to readership, but let’s attempt to take an objective view on this. The two warring (though vastly stereotyped) sides to BookTok are those who relish the classics (Wuthering Heights, Crime and Punishment and The Metamorphosis are particular favourites) and those who enjoy steamy, flirtatious fantasies (eg, A Court of Thorns and Roses, It Ends With Us and Heartstopper). Both of these types of reader generally hold a certain amount of distaste for the other – however, often, both trip up and fail to see the irony of this. 

Lovers of the classics: The side of intellectualism

Everyone loves a good brag – it is part of human nature. We love to be right. As a student of philosophy I can appreciate the love of musty-scented books, candle-lit symposiums and knitted sweaters, but it’s possible that this quadrant of readers are becoming more focused on the aestheticism of the books that they read than on the profound truths that they tell us.

One thing that is especially popular over on the classicist side of BookTok is a hatred for Colleen Hoover. Why do they despise her so, you may wonder? Well, the classics are just that for a reason. Dostoevsky stands the test of time! While his works are confusing with many names for one character and complex sentence structures, the time you spend reading them only builds your appreciation for a masterfully written narrative. The heartbreaking struggle of Gregor Samsa, the simmering tension between Mr Darcy and Lizzie and Dorian Gray’s lust for indulgence can all be felt centuries later just as poignantly to modern audiences. This tends to be where current works of fiction fall short; no one is comparing Sarah J Maas to Nabokov. 

Although the classics may reach contemporary readers, the language can be tricky. There is no questioning the fact that these novels require a higher reading level, and perhaps this is why the classicists feel so strongly this sense of elitism. They would never deign to touch a book so base and dull as a piece of faerie smut. I do wonder though, in my trek through the river of endless content… Does anyone on this side of TikTok actually read the books that they brag about? There is little to no discussion of the characters or appreciation of the themes presented – simply an aura of intelligence and power. BookTok loves a good annotation, and countless times I’ve witnessed the pleasing colours of sticky notes and pencilled thoughts in margins, yet I cannot help but feel that it’s all for show. It seems more like a casual boast of a reader’s comprehension and analytical skills, especially when paired with the famously beloved ‘dark academia’ aesthetic. There is no follow-up discourse on the novel itself. Books have become an accessory to intellect. 

In their defence, short, snappy videos get the most attention on TikTok – and therefore the most money – and it is simply not possible to appreciate the depth and beauty of such rich pieces in a mere seven seconds. 

One can laugh at a simple video that jokes about a book’s shortcomings, but something I cannot get behind is the hypocrisy of hating a book or an entire genre based on its presented ‘shallowness’ on an app that promotes this concept. It’s almost satirical that the same people who love to puff their chests with academic pride are doing so on TikTok, which focuses more on aestheticism than intellectual conversation. 

There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, but let’s admit what TikTok is; it’s Instagram in video format. A powerful tool that is consistently used for the greater good, but more often than not serves the purpose of presenting a front that is far from realistic. 

Modernists: An era of liberation? 

I’ll be the first to admit that I am often disappointed with modern literature. I’m not entirely impartial on this argument; I tend to prefer books with complex plots and pretentious characters. However, I do enjoy indulging in something a little less… cultured. I am, of course, talking about the expansive range of smut – or, as it’s more commonly known, spice. 

Let’s not ignore the fact that the majority of BookTok is populated by women. Women who, for the vast majority of their lives, have been incredibly restricted in their sexuality. Within this conversation there are another two conflicting opinions: porn can be healthy and helpful for discovering one’s body and sexual interests, and that porn is addictive and destructive to how one views real relationships. I personally believe that these two opinions conflict to be something of a false dichotomy. Both can be true at once. With the rising popularity of ‘spicy’ books, it’s important to remember that while these can be fun to read, all media that we consume influences us. 

I have read and reviewed some questionable texts. Some topics, dare I say, should be left to the imagination, or at the very least handled with care. One of the biggest controversies coming to the foreground amid the rise of interest in sexy immortal beings is the trope of very sizeable age gaps. When handled tastefully, this can be entertaining. Realistically, no one can imagine their significant other behaving like a 300-year old, let alone actually wanting that. It is when authors romanticise age gaps in much more realistic ways – the older gentleman often taking a more dominant role in the relationship – that this harkens to a dark truth about our world. Grooming is a serious problem, and romanticising a young vulnerable girl being whisked away by a smoking hot DILF poses the risk of real young women glamourising toxic relationships. 

One response might be: “What does it matter? Anyone reading these books knows that it isn’t real, so just let people enjoy things!” While I appreciate the sentiment, this is a gross generalisation of readership. Good feelings are addictive, even if they are not healthy. The purpose of anything that is sold and bought is to get you hooked so that you come back for more. It’s economically beneficial. It might not be an immediate transformation, but slowly, over time, books can alter your way of thinking the exact same way as anything else. 

So yes! Enjoy your fantasies, explore what piques your interest, but bear in mind that just because something seems sexy on the page, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s something to blush about in real life. 

The ‘right’ kind of reader

Amid the clash of ideals surrounding the kinds of books people choose to read, perhaps the critical question is why we feel the need to present ourselves as ‘readers’. Is there a ‘right’ way to be a reader? With so much aestheticism, academic elitism and overconsumption of books, there is a blossoming uneasiness and competitiveness within the reading community to show just how passionate you are about devouring the millions of stories at our disposal. 

The essential thing to remember among the myriad of voices is that reading, more than any other form of media, takes time to appreciate. In our fast-moving world, taking the time to sit and read feels like a jarring change of pace. BookTok attempts to balance these velocities, but as we move away from the heart of a novel and cling to our pretty covers, perhaps the only conclusion we can come to is that true appreciation of literature is simply not suited for short-form videos.