Photo by Toa Heftiba via Uplash.

BookTok is a dynamic and rapidly growing community on TikTok dedicated to all things literature. This vibrant platform allows users to create and share short videos that showcase book recommendations, reviews, reading challenges, and discussions about literary themes. With its engaging format, BookTok has become a powerful influencer in the publishing world, driving significant sales and sparking renewed interest in various genres. 

BookTok and Tropes

One of the defining features of BookTok is its emphasis on popular literary tropes. Users frequently highlight recurring themes, such as enemies-to-lovers, love triangles and found family, often reducing complex narratives to their most basic components. Business Insider has talked about how the format of TikTok has led to this result. “The focus on tropes has to do with the short nature of videos on TikTok… With one-to-three-minute videos, creators have mere seconds to capture the attention of a viewer and condense the plot of a book. Tropes make the task easier.” 

The problem is that this focus on tropes can lead to an oversimplification of literature, boiling a book down to its most basic points. As Isabella Madruga said in her article “How can reading make you dumber? BookTok makes that possible.” “…it’s like if someone took The Great Gatsby and marketed it with the tropes ‘pining,’ ‘exes to lovers’ and ‘love triangle,’ and ignored the themes of social class, cynicism toward the American Dream and glamorization of certain problematic/abusive themes.” 

While familiar tropes can enhance the reading experience by providing comfort and predictability, this reductionist approach can also detract from the richness of a story. It risks overshadowing nuanced character development, intricate plots and the deeper themes that make literature so compelling.

But that’s not the only problem found in the land of BookTok. Additionally, the focus on easily digestible content can create unrealistic expectations for readers. Many books that deviate from popular formulas may be overlooked. This could result in a  lack of diversity in reading choices. This narrow focus can stifle exposure to different voices and genres, ultimately limiting readers’ literary horizons.

The Positive Impact on Reading Culture

Personally, I have read a fairshare of books I found from TikTok. Whether it be a nonfiction book about the Donner Party or a “trope-centric” romance novel, BookTok has reinvigorated my love of reading. In this way, BookTok has played a crucial role in making reading more approachable and accessible. By creating a vibrant community where users share recommendations and discuss their favorite books, it has fostered a culture of enthusiasm around literature. 

When I was younger a book was always in my hand and to be able to return to even half the enthusiasm I used to have for books is so refreshing. In a lot of ways, reengaging with books and bookish culture has felt like coming home and I don’t know that it would have had happened without BookTok. 

BookTok and the Publishing Industry 

It has become obvious that people are buying books more than ever in no small part due to BookTok (though it is perhaps another question to ask if they are reading more than ever). According to The Week, BookTok contributed to the sale of 20 million print books by adult fiction writers in 2021. By mid-2022, sales in the genre had risen by another 50 percent. This phenomenon illustrates how social media can impact cultural consumption. As more readers discover titles through trending hashtags and relatable content, authors and publishers are keenly aware of the potential for viral success. This not only benefits established authors but also provides a platform for new voices, diversifying the literary landscape. In addition, authors and publishers are increasingly using tropes as a marketing tool to sell books by making new releases feel familiar to readers. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, I can neither fully endorse nor fully scorn the BookTok community. BookTok represents a transformative force in the literary world, bridging the gap between readers and books in innovative ways. While its emphasis on popular tropes can lead to oversimplification and limit exposure to diverse narratives, it undeniably fosters a vibrant community that reignites passion for reading.

Meet Mr. Alfredo Noodle, or Alphie for short. Alphie constantly makes me laugh. He dunks his entire head in the water bowl to take a drink and frequently attempts to add me to the stash of toys he hides under the dresser.

Ferrets are happiest when kept with others, so I soon adopted Hershey. Hershey’s favorite hobby is burrowing under blankets, in drawers full of clothes or in the pit of dry beans I made especially for him.

The two quickly accepted one another.

When a friend contacted me for help rescuing a litter of newborn kittens, I took in Daphne when she was only a few weeks old. Daphne learned many behaviors from her brothers and acts more like a ferret than a cat. 

I have since adopted Pretzel as well. Pretzel loves tunnels. Even though he has several perfectly sized tunnels, he will try to squeeze into any cylinder and is known to get stuck. 

When the ferrets are not jumping around and causing chaos, they are sleeping.

I have also recently rescued another kitten whom I have named Chicken. Chicken is my spunkiest animal. She loves to play with her brothers and break into cabinets.

With three ferrets and two cats surrounding me, my household never lacks affection and is certainly never bland!

The photos in this feature were provided by the author.