TAYLOR MASCETTA: A community known as “BookTok” has gradually emerged as an online hub for readers. Recommendations include fantasy adventures and steamy romance. Teenager Kira Coffey got out of a reading slump when BookTok started appearing on her algorithm. Soon enough, books flooded her For You page, and she decided to give reading another chance, Now, she has quite the book collection, and makes some BookToks of her own. This one shows just how much her bookshelf cost. Coffey says Booktok offers a realm of possibilities for readers to find their next favorite book.
KIRA COFFEY: They’re so accessible, and easy for anyone to read. They’re like, everywhere, I feel like. And they you could talk to people about it and the environment around it makes it more fun to read a book.
MASCETTA: With over 30 million posts under the booktok hashtag, tiktok users are sharing their recommendations, opinions, and reactions to the books they read. And Booktok can bring readers to places like this. This is book’s end, a used bookstore located right in Syracuse. It features books that are new releases and some that are over a hundred years old. Owner Patrick McGrath is excited about the potential that Booktok has, to bring new generations of readers to a place like this.
PATRICK McGRATH: Screens came later in my life, but people growing up now, it’s constant.
MASCETTA: McGrath says social interaction is what’s made Booktok grow basically overnight.
McGRATH: I think it’s been helpful because we’re seeing it on there, and it’s inspiring people to have the tactical sensation of having an actual book in their hand.
MASCETTA: While Coffey loves being on Booktok, she wants to make sure users don’t forget something about reading.
COFFEY: Even though they are super entertaining. But i feel like, sometimes, it can push you down a wormhole of thinking reading is just for pure entertainment, when it could be so much more.
MASCETTA: A new era of reading indeed. Taylor Mascetta, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – An emerging TikTok community is getting more and more of its users off of their phones – and nose deep into a book.
#BookTok first emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, as users used the online space as a replacement book club. Recommendations span from fantasy adventures to steamy romances. Some of the most popular books include “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas, “The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black, and “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros.
“BookTokers” share videos recommending their favorite series, reacting to crazy scenes, or gushing about their favorite fictional couples. These clips are taking over TikTok’s algorithms, with users’ For You pages often swamped with BookTok content.
But the popularity is swaying users – often young adults – to start reading again. Teenager Kira Coffey said she was in the midst of a reading slump when #BookTok started to appear on her algorithm. Curious about some recommendations, Coffey bought some books to read. She was immediately hooked, immediately filling her shelves and making “BookToks” of her own.
“[The books] are so accessible, and easy for anyone to read,” Coffey said. “You can talk to people about it, and the environment around it makes it more fun to read a book.”
#BookTok has an offscreen effect as well, which is increasing traction for local bookstores. Patrick McGrath owns Books End, a used book store located in Syracuse. Customers have mentioned #BookTok to McGrath, and he’s pleased that TikTok is reinvigorating an interest in books.
“Screens came later in my life, but people growing up now, it’s constant,” McGrath said. “I think it’s been helpful because we’re seeing it on there, and it’s inspiring people to have the tactical sensation of having an actual book in their hand.”
But despite all of the excitement, Coffey hopes that the true meaning behind reading is not lost.
“Sometimes, [BookTok] can push you down a wormhole of thinking reading is just for pure entertainment,” Coffey said. “When it could be so much more.”
