Immerse yourself in BookTok, a community of teenage book addicts
Thanks to TikTok, the video sharing app and with the hashtag #BookTok, reading would once again be “in vogue” among teenagers. Most posts on BookTok are very short and witty videos, lasting less than a minute and musically illustrated with the sounds of the moment.
For example, in a very short video “Ouch”Australian booktoker @londonapplesvery active online, wearing her trademark bear-eared beanie, takes the stage to show that she never understands why anyone dares to interrupt her reading.
Over 91 billion views
TikTok is the fastest growing platform in the history of social media. It is especially popular among young people.
In 2020, 38% of Australian teenagers aged 12-17 said they regularly visit TikTok. Last year, time spent on TikTok by Australian users increased by 40% to 23.4 hours per month.
BookTok is a community of tiktokers who post videos sharing their love of books and reading. The #BookTok hashtag now has over 91 billion views worldwide.
A small group, but very passionate
As part of our survey of adolescent reading, we wanted to find out what Australian adolescents were using these literary social networks and who the booktalkers were.
Early results reveal that while more than half of Australian teenagers use TikTok (56%), far fewer engage in “literary discussions” like BookTok on social networks (only 16%).
These results confirm our previous research, which showed that literary exchanges on social networks concern a small but passionate group of readers.
Although they represent a small portion of teenagers, booktalkers have created small social media communities that encourage other teens to read and diversify their reading. According to some booksellers, BookTok has sparked a new craze for reading among young people.
Follow the trends
Mireille Lee (@alifeofliterature), avid BookTok follower, said: “I haven’t read in six years, and I started reading again after I first came across BookTok.”
Until the pandemic, reading among teenagers was in decline, but thanks to quarantines and the growing popularity of BookTok, a third of British teenagers
