how tiktok ruined reading + the "booktok book" formula 

i think it'd be really nice to create a thread of booktok creators who share thought-provoking, diverse books!!! pls reply to comment with your favourite booktok creators ✨

I mean in 2024 BookTok is ruining reading and in 2006 it was Twilight and in 2001 it was Harry Potter. Something is always “ruining reading”.

great stuff. i’m a staunch tik tok hater but people claiming that tik tok has “ruined” reading is giving the app way too much credit. just because smutty colleen hoover clones are the popular thing right now doesn’t mean they are the only books that exist ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ new great complex novels are being published all the time

“For you page is quite literally FOR YOU” preach!

Calling someone a “performative sports fan” is not something I ever thought I’d hear irl but this is very much a thing that female fans of Formula 1 hear.

“just like any white guy with a podcast mic and some unsolicited opinions”😭😭😭

while i do love being a hater, this is a refreshing and neutral take to hear

This!!! 👏 Reading is a HOBBY! I think that those who judge others for “not engaging in this hobby correctly” should reflect on what their criticism says about them. I love “deep and poignant” literature too, but as a graduate student working a full time job, I notice that I almost exclusively gravitate toward romance or feel-good novels during the semester because I just want to relax, enjoy, and turn my brain off. People are allowed to enjoy what they enjoy and no one is forcing you to read a Booktok book that you don’t want to read or look down on!

As an English teacher, I’m just glad that people are reading. I mean, so many of my students complain about their attention span because of the overwhelming information they get all the time. It’s nice that there’s a space on TikTok - which is usually the culprit - that encourages any kind of reading. I might not like most of the books I see recommended on TikTok, but once you start reading, it’s easy to guide you to better stuff

this is like if people got mad at spotify because all the top hits playlists have drake and taylor swift on it

The ghost of the Spanish love deception will continue to haunt jack until the end of time

Honestly I read so many good books cause of tiktok. Also a couple of bad ones. But one book jumped out at me and I was shocked, the book is called - The Hidden Truths Of Wealth, It will reveal to you how today's business gurus actually manipulate and make money.

Jack, your point about the underlying misogyny in hating 'being a reader' really got me thinking. Thank you for using your platform to educate me (and others) in such a casual and entertaining way. Well done!

11:52 The only times I ever hear sports being “performative” is when women are involved (think only watching American Football because of Taylor Swift). Men are rarely perceived to be performative in their enjoyment of sports, even though they weren’t soccer fans until the World Cup…

I don't have tiktok and so by extension don't read booktok books but the level of passion and LOGICAL REASONING in this video? I thoroughly and profusely enjoyed this

YES! just because i don’t read every free hour of the day doesn’t mean i perform my love for reading. i’m just a tired girl, but whenever i do find the time, i find so much joy in it! calling it performative sets such weird expectations of how people should engage in their hobbies

I read The Secret History in 1998 when I was 20 years old. I became obsessed with it, and started drinking scotch and writing poetry on a typewriter. It was all very silly and romantic, but I was completely alone and didn't know anyone that loved it, much less had even read it. I am SO HAPPY that Donna Tartt has gotten the recognition she was due and the fact that it's turned into a whole aesthetic makes my inner 20-year-old so freaking excited! When you say that BookTok has democratized the publishing industry, I am so HERE for it, because we are seeing feminist literature, and more diversity than we have ever seen before. I am so glad that you mentioned that the hate is likely coming from misogyny. Thank you for this incredibly well-thought out and nuanced video essay, I just love your work and it's a joy to hear you talk about books!

Honestly, the people claiming that booktok wiped out "real literature" must not be looking far? I understand feeling frustrated with current reading trends, but I am always adding books to my TBR with multiple layers of depth. I don't have TikTok, so my book recommendations are not usually curated by an algorithm. The inability to find thought-provoking books is almost a reflection on the people voicing the complaint. They don't need to tear down BookTok readers because of it!

these videos where you just sit and talk are my favourite. it's just so cozy

as a librarian i've seen and took part of A LOT of discussion about this topic and i'm so happy with this video because i think you're absolutely right, jack! and it's so important to have somebody with the public you have talking about it, thank you!

I am critical of booktok not because of the tiktok videos but because of what it does to the world of publishing. Bookstores are filled with shelves and shelves of Colleen Hoover and are focusing less and less on literary works. Authors now have to market themselves on social media to get a publishing deal and/or readers. We are not criticizing other people's for you pages but the real world impact of the majority of the booktok community.

What’s interesting about the booktok boom is… all the “popular books” on the platform… were popular on booktube years before… but booktube is always left out of the conversation…. It’s time booktubers got their credit!

I didn't have anybody to talk about books with before joining booktok. Now I've got some bookish friends and I can post book reviews and bookish memes when I want. So it's a win win to me, I feel like.

YES. YES. YES. I have thought very extensively about our hyperbolic language usage and how it creates a disconnect between us and the actual words that we use every day. It’s awesome to hear you describe it so eloquently.

also i think booktok has really improved the book cover designs in book shops! because of how visual it is i love book covers at the moment!!!

While booktok has certainly lead to often reductive understandings of literature. We would ALL be remiss to not appreciative the *immense* gravity in which booktok has effected the accessibility of the publishing industry for the better. As an author of color I would not chose another time to exist within this space. For ONCE in my life I am seeing books hit the shelves where marginalized characters are existing in books without their pain and trauma being the center focus -- booktok is a major contributor to that. The swell that the industry has received in funds from booktok has allowed for publishers to take risks on more debut authors and diverse stories, allowing marginalized authors to debut in genre fiction!! (I'm so overjoyed!) It's truly my greatest hope that these feats of inclusivity remain. xx

remember reading a goodreads review about lolita saying that the book is problematic because the author makes you want to sympathize with humbert and i haven't recovered

I love the quote by Naval Ravikant that goes along “Read what you Love to love to Read”.

So many of these early comments didn’t watch the video and didn’t realize this is jack defending booktok lolll.

About what Jack is saying at 28:58 , I absolutely rushed through Wuthering Heights hating those characters and realized that Emily Bronte had just done a great job getting me there.

Honestly, this video is overall about BookTok, but I appreciate all the rest you discuss: supporting niche publishers, authors, and stores; appreciating books for a variety of reasons; the importance of popular culture to promote an industry; revivification of older books... and all the rest. The past few years, I've been consuming a lot of fanfiction rather than just books, and felt bad that my book reading count fell, because that made me feel like I wasn't reading enough. Then I realized I'd read nearly 2,000 fics (of varying lengths, of course) in less than a year, so my gauge of what counts as reading just needs to change. Thanks for helping with that in this video. And thanks for being part of my engagement with reading!

Jack’s channel is like a cozy corner of the internet. These are the type of conversations I yearn for when I say I want to have a glass of wine and have thought provoking conversations with others. Also the editing is class 💅🏽💅🏽💅🏽

I love when creators have nuanced opinions instead of just jumping to conclusions, especially when criticizing something

Think this is one of your best videos ever Jack! I really hate the gatekeeping around reading. More readers = better society. Booktok has made both of my kids better readers and helped me relate to them, so count me a fan!

I struggle lately a lot with depression and mental illnesses and I love reading. Your videos always cheer me up, because you are always so happy and enthusiastic. Thank you for everything you make and keep going!!

Lol ok no hate please. It Ends With Us helped start my reading journey. It started about 2 years ago. After reading that book, I just needed to start reading again. Which in turn, built my own personal library, over 500 books that I own. I have different genres (thriller, classics, romance, etc) So as much as I know that book/author is on a hate list, I gotta give thanks to inspiring me to read. Thanks to Booktok/RU-vid readers, my interests have grown. I’m wanting to read more poetry, short stories also. Ps. Just so no one freaks out about the amount of books on my TBR, I am a slow reader and work a 2 jobs. So my reading journey is a but slow but I have no regrets where I am today.

I completely agree with the criticisms at the end about misinterpreting themes like in Lolita and The Secret History. Depicting a thing in art and literature does not always equal an endorsement of said thing. Sometimes I think that gets lost in the ~discourse~ sauce.

People hated on james patterson so much but a lot of his stuff was my fav growing up, it really was half of what i was reading to develop my book obsession

ok but PLEASE make a podcast jack

As a romance reader who also reads a little bit of everything (lit-fic, mystery, memoir, etc.), thank you for the nuance in this video. I read romance for different reasons than poetry, or fantasy, or classics, and I go to each genre with different expectations because each genre has something different to offer. Not only do a lot of "booktok has ruined reading" critiques come off as rather snobby/elitist, but they're often missing a huge point: even if none of the books you see on booktok are for you, there are MILLIONS of books that are. If people are getting joy out of reading, isn't that the most important thing? (Plus, we don't even have to get into how people dismissing the entire romance genre as "trash" has DEEP roots in patriarchy & misogyny - that's a whole other can of worms.) So, in short, thank you. 💕

Exceptional articulation. You’ve definitely changed my perspective on some of these issues.

love this! i love your take on booktok as a context and your view of the book industry as an ecosystem, everything is intertwined. also, shallow popular books have always existed (as well as deep popular books), booktok is just a medium in which they are amplified, but that happens also to more random, unique ones. this video is just chef kiss

THANK YOU! I’ve never understood the not letting people enjoy what they love because you think what you love is better. One of the reasons booktok is so great is because of how diverse it is, and the various types of different readers on the app. LET PPL ENJOY WHAT THEY LOVE!

I'm excited to hear your toughts on this topic. I don't actually think reading can be "ruined"

Audio quality is so much better now with the mic and the room looks INCREDIBLE (this is the first video I’m watching since you put that room together and omg 🙌🏻❤️)

You dissecting topics such as this one from a warm, multi-layered perspective is always so refreshing and great! Thank you so much for your insights :)

It's also the people who are 'outraged' by the supposed tastelessness of popular trendy books who prob get an ego boost from being into 'niche' or 'highbrow' literature. something cant be niche without mainstream to go along with it.

I'm only 4 minutes into the video but I just have to say the editing is magnificent, I'm laughing so hard, thanks Jack

Thank you for this video! I think it’s awesome that reading is so popular now. It definitely was looked at as a nerdy hobby where I was growing up and made fun of. It’s great to see so many different kinds of people loving reading!

i've been following your content ever since the pandamic and your videos have been providing me a lot of comfort, I like your uni content and later just reading content so much, but i've been loving those talking style videos, that you have recently made. i feel like your opinion and general view on social media and reading have become so refined and intresting. i admire that you see everything in a positive but realistic light. your argumentation is senseble and somehow very straightforward, whithout missing important nuances. that is so cool because i originally just followed you because i thought you were funny and friendly. and now i really like hearing your take and perspective! thanks so much!

just finished the video and i can't stress enough how appreciative i am that jack always ALWAYS approaches every subject from a positive and open minded and KIND perspective. it would be so easy for him to trash a big chunk of booktok or people who don't engage with "intellectual" books, but he doesn't and never has. i've been watching his videos for years and while i'm not someone who reads a 100 books a year (which i think a lot of people feel pressured to do because of booktok or the fast paced nature of the internet and our lives in general) this is a way to engage with that hobby and be part of a community and hear a different opinion than yours or see a different recommendation that you might otherwise never see or hear. and above all jack's radiant kindness and genuine love for books is so nice to be around even if it's through a screen. thank you jack for creating such a safe, cozy and fun space ❤️

this is an amazing, transformative take on the whole issue that i haven't seen before. all i've been hearing is the tiktok fast-fashion thing but i think you have a POINT you know. 10/10, completely agree!!!

you’re such a joy to watch, i’m genuinely so entertained by every video you put out

Thank you so much for this. I used to be a bookseller and in the early 90s we struggled getting young people into bookshops/ reading. I don’t use TikTok but obviously am watching the equivalent on RU-vid and Instagram. Like you say- It has opened my eyes to books, authors and genres that I would have previously dismissed. And me oh my have I discovered great books through this. I no longer work in book selling but know that if I still had my bookshops, booktok etc. would have its own corner. Your defence of it and also wondering if there is an element of misogyny in this all is very valid and food for thought . Thank you so much!

I agree with most of this! A few of my own opinions on this: 1. I don’t have a problem with tropes inherently or with putting books in certain categories, but I do have a problem with the way they tend to be used for marketing. It’s way easier to market a book by stapling a list of tropes to the cover- “enemies to lovers” “grumpy/sunshine” ect.- and I’ve definitely read books where it felt like a really interesting premise was simplified to fit a certain trope, or I felt like the book leaned waaaay too much into the trope at the expense of plot or character development. I worry that this trend is going to make it more difficult for books that don’t easily fit any categories to be published, that it’s reductive for books that *can* fit a specific category but that’s not really the point, ect. Categorization can be really helpful, and tropes are obviously necessary as storytelling tools, but I don’t love how it’s used as a marketing strategy. The enemy is not booktok, it’s ✨capitalism!✨ 2. Some people. Just some! Not most! Some people simply do not know how to behave. It is *very easy* to forget that the things you do and say and promote online have actual real life consequences. Every time there’s new booktok drama, I can’t help but think that this simply would not be a problem if anyone involved had literally any other hobbies. Go outside. Booktok is great! Booktok is wonderful! But it suffers the same problem as any online space- namely, *being online constantly all the time is not good for you*, and it is extremely easy to forget that the people youre interacting with are actual real people with lives and boundaries. Nothing quite feels real online- there’s a degree of separation that makes it much easier to do and say things you would NEVER do or say irl. It goes back to what Jack said about how people can be really mean. When you spend all of your time consuming media, either reading or on TikTok or whatever, nothing feels real anymore and it’s easy to forget that your actions have consequences. I think this is more a problem with the platform itself than the users- TikTok is literally designed to be addictive- but I do think it encourages a certain level of distance from reality that isn’t super healthy. Gonna hope that what I’m saying in both these points is clear, I simply could not be bothered to edit and proofread this RU-vid comment. But I think there are a lot of good points here! Booktok is an incredibly valuable resource and a really great community, I just think capitalism loves to ruin everything good in the world and also some people need to learn how to behave online.

The thing I dislike about Booktok being such a big thing is Kindle books where the only edition available to me has "Tiktok made me buy it!" in the title. That's kind of like stickers on the cover that you can't remove. I so wish they didn't do that. None of the kindle books I bought with that on them were because of Tiktok for me anyway.

This is probably one of the best and most thought provoking videos I’ve watched this week. It made me and my wife think about how we talk about book, and engage with books. Thank you for opening a great discussion!

I really like this video because it does emphasise the importance and need of a community when it comes to reading. A lot of readers don't have people around them to talk about their favourite books with but Booktok, Bookstagram, Booktube and podcasts give them an opportunity to interact with people who like the same things as them. Isn't that what social media is all about at the end of the day?

yes! 28:07 I often feel like people are reading two different books! Reading comprehension is low in some of these conversations since folks learned the words "romanticized" and "glamorized." Like no babe, the author is critiquing this, not supporting it.

I think this is your best video yet Jack! And I’ve been a fan for years! Such a valid point about The Secret History. I did not see the camp rock cutaway coming 😂

It s the first video Im seeing or hearing from you. Really enjoy it, I love how structure your ideas and delivery are.

the part where jack pointed out how reading or booktok - having more female audience is - not taken seriously really got me thinking!

I think I've commented this on every video I could find but jack we need and Emma Watson video. She seems like a person who genuinely cares about books and the way they impact people. Also the fact that she used to leave books in public places for people to read is so amazing

I love your optimism looking at all of this and interpreting it, it's refreshing thank you

I love your take on this + absolutely love these type of video essays , they’re so fun to listen to while doing home tasks :)

Booktook wants us to read more books than to actually enjoy them:(

This was such a great video cause before watching this video I too viewed booktok as like the worst thing to happen to reading but you have completely changed my perspective just once again proving why you're my favourite youtuber.

love this! you're so well spoken and everything you say rings so true.

One thing that really turned around my thinking similar things to those mentioned in this video was someone at university pointing out - people are READING. How can we be angry that people are developing their reading and engaging with a slower hobby that is good for your brain and your language development and emotional wellbeing?? I used to think kids books about footballers were silly, but if they get more young boys to read (who often struggle to / are discouraged to) then they are useful and valuable.

Situating booktok/tube/other means of engaging with reading as beneficial facets of reading as a hobby is such a new and revolutionary perspective to me! Thank you so much that's truly validating💚

This was such a beautiful conversation I’m actually in awe of how well you articulated your thoughts, especially that last point!

this is amazing! standing ovation! I find booktok and channels like yours a source of great hope as we face the rise of book bans and the firing of teachers and librarians in this country (the U.S.)--people are reading and sharing and thinking about books, and that matters. we are making connections and celebrating literature on booktok and booktube. thank you for being such a thoughtful and empathetic voice for the love of reading.

every word exactly what i feel! you articulated it so well! people are so paranoid about books and reading they forget that they dont have to engage in it and trends are usually dynamic.

Absolutely loved this video and the nuance you bring to the entire booktok conversation, while also focusing on the (mostly good) impact booktok has on the publishing industry. It's really interesting to watch this conversation as someone who isn't active on TikTok. I used to be, but realised I spent way too much time mindlessly scrolling, so have removed the app ever since. In a way, I do feel like I miss out on community, recommendations and interesting conversations about the books I love. Especially because I find it difficult to find people who love reading literary fiction, as it is more of a niche still. Im just happy more and more people have fallen in love with reading again. Plus I do adore how much love the libraries have been getting lately, they are having a surge in popularity as well, and it is great for so many reasons.

They definitely have “performative fans” in sports. What other people would call fair weather fans that only pop up when the team is winning but have no history following the team or familiarity with the players. But I get your point because a woman is also more likely to be called this too if they had sudden interest in sports versus a man, but it does still happen

This is a great breakdown, I enjoyed your takes on the "performative" part and how engaging with reading, podcast, book content is importance to the overall hobby and enjoy of books/reading

oh I loved this take! as someone who rediscovered their love for reading as an adult through booktok, seeing this new trending take that booktok has ruined reading was really upsetting. at this point I’ve seen so many different corners of booktok (literary fiction, horror, nonfiction, romance, etc.) and seeing people claim that only the same 5 books get recommended is very frustrating. of course booktok isn’t a perfect space, and I agree with your criticisms! the problem is that some people see these issues and create a catastrophe out of a hiccup.

As someone who tends to be a bit judgmental and critical of Bookstagram and BookTok, I agree with your core points and try not to contribute to the divisive dialog (even though I still think most readers are too exclusive with their genres). I think the FYP point is a bit of an idealistic view of how the algorithm is /supposed/ to work when the reality is, there's only so much curation that can be done. Instagram is well-aware I'm a reader and I follow a great deal of diverse creators. But as far as the algorithm goes? There's no nuance. Since I'm a reader, it will never not suggest content related to ACOTAR, Colleen Hoover, SJM and spicy books. How about nonfiction? Oh, then I must love Atomic Habits and /only/ Atomic Habits. It is true there are content creators out there for everyone but I would argue, the algorithm doesn't appear to work in their favor. And if you're chronically online, that can sometimes make these book communities feel like boring echo-chambers.

"Just because something's cliche doesn't mean that it's not something that's awesome. The worst kind of person is someone who makes someone feel bad, dumb or stupid for.. being excited about something." - Taylor Swift You made such good points, Jack!

You're so thoughtful in your thinking and analysis of the current social media reading space. Thank you!

i love how politely pissed off you are about it 😂 and thank you for all the recs!

Honestly, the harsh language of those with book opinions dissimilar to mine is the reason why my book reviews on tiktok are so generic and brief. I give one sentence about the book, one sentence about how I felt reading it and a 1-5 star rating. I don't even show my face or use my voice. I wish to have more courage so I can be more open and conversational about books I've read and how I feel but I worry others will ruin my experience.

You've raised some very interesting points in your discussion. I have never used TikTok (and don't think I will), so I did not exactly have an opinion on it, as I didn't know much about it. However, especially the point of misogyny really hit home for me. All in all, I am just happy that booktok seems to met more people to try reading as a hobby and that has always been a plus in my books ;-) Thanks for this ostensive discussion, I feel like I learned a lot here today!

I want to thank you, Jack,for your constant love and pushing forward of claire keegans novels, as due to you and booktok in general,im privileged enough to get to study small things like these for my leaving cert (irish version of A Levels)

Great points, totally agree and enjoyed this discussion. I think that one reason people feel threatened by BookTok that's quite small and niche is that some people have a very personal connection to reading, have used it as serious therapy for understanding their own trauma and those people, often introverted and misunderstood have had an armor through books... and it ALSO created a kind of outward sign to others of who they were. Now all readers are in some diluted soup, and where they once felt seen they feel even more misunderstood. I never see people talk about that, but I do think it exists. I think that loss of identity that social media, generally, has facilitated has put a bad taste in people's mouths and even been a hurtful side effect. I just want to see publishing's keep on thriving! And I want everyone to keep enjoying books.

Do you know that friend who never judges you in your taste of things? That would be Jack :)

As someone who is working on my debut novel now, I am thankful for booktok and the growing community of readers on the platform because this gives me more of a chance to get published. There are so many new readers because of tiktok. READING is trendy. I don't get why people would think of this as a bad thing. Also it is so pretentious to say all popular books are bad...Not everyone wants to read heavy literary fiction. A lot of people just want to read a light romance or fantasy as an escape and there's nothing wrong with that.

Great video. You brought up quite a few aspects beyond booktok, and this so well spoken.

I just love booktok, it is what got me into reading in the first place and I’ll be forever grateful for that

Brilliant video. I’m not a TikTok fan myself and I’m not on there, but it’s a book community right?? It’s nice to see kids and teens reading, it was a ‘nerdy’ thing to do when I was in school and anything that makes people read is an okay thing in my mind! Always see kids and teens browsing books in Waterstones these days and I love it.

This is an amazing video!!!! All the things you said resonated with me in every way. Ive been thinking about a lot of the things said in the past week without being able to put into words! Thank you Jack

There actually is some kind of sports equivalent tbh, with football at least in my experience if you haven’t been to see the team you support live then you’re called a ‘plastic’, meaning you’re a ‘fake’ fan. That term is also used for people who switch what teams they support. It just shows how this weird gatekeeping is everywhere, you can’t be a ‘real’ fan if you’ve not seen your team live/gone to a home game or any game at all, you can’t be a ‘real’ fan of a certain band/artist if you can’t name all their albums/songs, and now it’s you can’t be a reader if you like booktok or whatever. It’s very strange really lol

everytime you post a video with a title like this I get SCAAARED and then you talk and I CANT AGREE MORE with you. I'll show this to whomever wants to talk shit

this is such an eloquently thought out and well spoken analysis of the presence of booktok in reader's lives (those who choose to indulge of course). i thought all of your points flawlessly demonstrated the positives and negatives that come with it, and overall this really freshened my perspective on reading in the digital era. i think the people who act snobby about how their reading is different comparing to a "booktoker's reading" need to watch this and really take in just what it is they're criticizing; if your fyp is filled with content from a side of booktok that you don't feel you align with whatsoever, that's a message within itself just like you spoke about. powerful and important stuff.

This was such a good video, amazing take on everything! Really glad we found your channel 🥰🫶🏼

I love all your thoughtful commentary on literature and trends. I just discovered you and have learned so much! I don’t think we have the same views or tastes necessarily, but I always find what you say very interesting.

This is the earliest I've ever been to your videos jack

Thank you for such an insightful and thought-provoking video! I'd like to offer my perspective: as a literary editor in a smaller non-English speaking country, I've observed the impact of BookTok, but not quite in the way you describe. While it's true that sales of English-language books have surged, we've also witnessed a concerning decline in the sales of books in our native language. This trend is likely prevalent in many smaller nations, particularly those with high levels of English proficiency. So while I truly believe booktok can be a force for good, I can't help but worry about the fate of literature from smaller non-English speaking countries amidst this mostly English-language phenomenon...

Hi! It's been a minute since I watched your videos, watching this I thought, wow Jack has grown sharper and more vibrant. Which is only surprising because your videos have always been top notch. But this one shows a level of clear precision on a topic that could easily elicit an emotional response. I loved when you said let people love the books they enjoy. Yes! There's nothing wrong with a fun mental getaway. ✨

I really enjoy your words all the time, but this time you have surpassed yourself. You said some things I have never thought about and they make entire sense to me. Thank you!