From BookTok To Book Clubs: Is Social Media Bringing Back Reading Offline?

Reading has always been a pivotal part of cultures across the world and has been more than just a hobby for centuries. From manuscripts inscribed on palm leaves in ancient India and clay tablets in Mesopotamia and Egypt, reading goes back to centuries old. With the new age of digitalisation, people moved away from books to Webnovels and Wattpad.

But social media has given reading something that was not always so popular. It created a community of readers with 'Book Clubs' under the term ‘BookTok’.

What is BookTok?

BookTok: a term very often heard on social media has slowly changed the way people read and consume new stories. For the unversed, the term has become an online corner of TikTok or any other social media platform where readers talk about their favourite books or recommendations in short videos.

With the rise of people expressing their love for reading on social media, reading became cool again, rather than a nerdy habit.

You do not have to be a profound or intellectual reader to be a part of the BookTok community. Whether you like romance, thriller, self-help books or philosophies, or even a fan of smut and Wattpad, BookTok has space for everyone without judgement.

(Image Credits: Instagram)

Has social media made reading cool again?

Reading has always been a popular hobby, and Book Clubs have existed way before it got

popularised by social media. However, in today's time where people are battling loneliness while living a hectic lifestyle, Book Clubs made a community.  

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How has BookTok brought back offline reading again with Book Clubs?

1. Screen Fatigue

With the rise in use of Kindle and many other reading websites and applications, screen fatigue is a major problem. Physical books can feel like a break from screens.

2. Desire to discuss

As BookTok makes books go viral, people do not want to just read new stories; they also want to discuss them and feel a sense of belonging.

3. Real Communities

Many popular creators host meetups in metro cities to interact with their followers and also create a community where they share their hobbies and meet like minded people.

4. Cafe hopping onto the reading trend

Many cafes and restaurants host reading sessions, where they provide a quiet place for their customers to simply exist. Of course, this comes with ticket prices.

(Image Credits: Magnific)

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Not just social media influencers, many popular celebs have created their own community of book clubs with fans. One of the biggest examples of this is pop star Dua Lipa, who launched her Service95 Book Club in 2023. The website describes 'Service95 Book Club' as a "space to enjoy all things literary, including Dua's Monthly Reads and exclusive Q&As between her and the authors, plus the best new book releases, reading recommendations from our team and more ways for you to read the world differently."

(Image Credits: Service95 Book Club)

Dua even shares her monthly read on the website and regularly interacts with famous authors.

Moreover, BookTok has also merged with pop-culture with several novels being made into movies and shows. For instance, Musafir Cafe, People We Meet On Vacations, Better Than Movies, and Off Campus Season 1 to name a few.

(Image Credits: Amazon, Prime Video)

Following BookTok’s rise, has reading become performative?

One could argue that reading may have become performative with the rise in BookTok. Driven by social media aesthetics and curated content to get more likes, many readers have criticised this phenomenon. Many readers even criticised public reading, calling it showy and superficial rather than having genuine love for reading.  

But does the performative reading really affect the reading community?

It may help the book community as people who have not touched a book since school are now in bookstores. It made the niche communities more visible and even helped several bookstores and new authors. Nonetheless, this made talking about books something cool rather than boring.

Conclusion:

Even though social media popularised reading again, it did not revive it. It just reminded people why we loved it in the first place. As BookTok gave the hype to reading and books, Book Clubs gave it more depth and a sense of community.  

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