The Rise of Booktok: How Does Social Media Change The Way We Read?

A few months ago, I was up late, doom scrolling in bed only to be hit with this sudden sense of panic. Sarah J. Maas had just announced that the next book in the ACOTAR series would be released in October 2026. This was not ideal. I had seven other books from her Throne of Glass series to read before I could even tackle the Crescent City series, which was apparently essential to my understanding of the next ACOTAR book. So, I sat there glumly and calculated how many pages I would have to read each month to finish the universe by October. It was 7,026 pages. Sure, that felt doable but did I want to spend the next seven months reading exclusively Romantasy books? Absolutely not. 

Freya Valerio TikTok

This (minorly traumatic) experience led me to question how and why social media has changed the way we read. Apps like TikTok, Goodreads and Fable have become increasingly popular in the last couple of years, with book lovers coming together to write reviews, share recommendations and laugh over relatable content. Yet, whilst these communities are fun and engaging, they’ve also created a shared desire for productivity. It’s no longer about what you read but how much you’re reading. For instance, users are expected to set goals, like having a reading streak or picking up a certain number of books in a year. These goals are then turned into statistics designed to keep them on track. While some may find this helpful, productivity can often turn into performance, or even competition, especially in the hands of bookish content creators.

It’s easy to forget that for some influencers, reading is a full-time job. The pressure to keep up with trends, find a niche and beat the algorithm means they have to work fast. So when you see videos on TikTok titled ‘March reading wrap up – here are the 30 books I read this month’, it can often feel a little disheartening. Even worse when they’re filming in front of the most aesthetic mini library you’ve ever seen while your own bookshelf looks like it’s been ransacked in the middle of the night. What you need to remember is that this pacing is unrealistic for most of us and reading should never be something you force yourself to do.

It’s also interesting how influencers like @Mariannasreads and @freyv_reads have learnt to engage audiences through short form content. They often have fifteen seconds to a minute to speed through their recommendations, dividing them into genres and tropes or even just highlighting a few standout quotations. This can lead to a sense of fragmentation in the way that books are consumed and understood. We hyper-focus on specific moments rather than critically evaluating the whole narrative. Emotion plays an important role in this too. The more an influencer is crying over a book, the more intriguing it appears, encouraging viewers to pick it up and share in this emotional journey.

Despite this, the relationship between social media and reading is not all doom and gloom. There are many positive aspects of this new, shared culture to celebrate. People who might never have considered themselves readers are now picking up books for the first time since leaving school. Online book clubs also provide lively spaces for discussions and urge readers to explore topics they wouldn’t typically reach for. Some even encourage their members to borrow their pick of the month from local libraries to help reduce the distance between online and real-world spaces.  

Authors have also used the opportunity to promote their books in accessible and creative ways. This often involves building a relationship with fans by responding to comments or explaining the processes behind their writing. Relationships like these are particularly important today as publishers no longer have sole control over the market. Digital communities have a real say in what is popular and whose stories deserve to be heard. For the most part, this brings attention to marginalised voices and inspires a diverse and inclusive literary space.

All in all, there are benefits and drawbacks to this new era of reading. While social media tends to prioritise quantity over quality, it also encourages a sense of community and passion in book lovers of all ages. I think the next step in creating a truly supportive online environment is to challenge this desire for competition, to purposefully slow down and reflect on what we’re reading. Only then can we find a balance between following the algorithm and discovering which books truly excite us.