More often than not, teenagers are told that they spend too much time on their phones, and subsequently, social media. However, recently a new subcommunity on one of the most popular social media apps today, TikTok, is promoting an offline activity.
BookTok, as it is known among the app, focuses completely on reading and literature content. Such content ranges from book reviews, recommendations, and hauls to bookcase set-up videos. Several Eureka students are a part of this online community, and regularly see Booktok content on the app.
“I would describe BookTok as a place online where people can share the books they’re interested in and give recommendations [about books] in a way that’s way different than reading a review,” Grace Kitzelmann, 12, said. “With the TikTok algorithm, you can get content that’s specific to you.”
With billions of videos now posted under the BookTok hashtag, it’s become relevant enough to pop up on non-readers’ “For You” page. Even popular bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble, have displays in-store that market the newest Booktok sensations. Numerous Eureka students are among the mass amount of users rediscovering reading as a result.
“I think BookTok is amazing because it lets me just explore so many different books, genres, and you get to see everyone’s opinions on them,” Sydney Bailey, 12, said. “When I first started getting into reading it helped because my for you page was all about these books and how much everyone loved the books.”
Even those who were already frequently reading are reaping the benefits of BookTok. Readers that already gravitated towards certain books have been opened up to a wide variety of options and feel more compelled to explore them.
“I’ve always been a reader, but I learned a lot and was opened up to a lot of new authors because of BookTok, but I think it’s also a great motivator to get people back into reading who used to be readers,” Kitzelmann said.
Books are even becoming as mainstream as widely-watched TV shows. The “Stranger Things” or “The Office” watchers could be compared to Colleen Hoover or Sarah J. Maas readers. But similar to the addictive qualities of streaming a favorite TV show, these ‘gateway’ books are turning a trend into a lifestyle for new readers.
“Anything that’s a trend, like BookTok, people are gonna pick it up. Especially books like Colleen Hoover and stuff like that,” Kitzelmann said. “I feel like that’s a gateway author to reading that a lot of people latched onto and then found their favorites through TikTok.”
From then on, as new readers dive further into the rabbit hole that is BookTok, their recommended content becomes more niche, and users can discover their personal reading preferences.
“I think the more basic books, such as any of the Colleen Hoover books, have definitely made non-readers start to read, but then from there a lot of people discover that they like to branch out,” Bailey said. “So they might start with some of the more basic books but it definitely makes them dive deeper into reading.”
Regardless of how recently users have gotten into reading, BookTok is changing the way teenagers spend their free time. Instead of encouraging endless amounts of doom-scrolling on the app, this subcommunity is promoting more time spent offline and off screens. When
looking for their next read, rather than Googling reviews, students should look no further than a community that can be accessed from their most frequently used app.
