The rise of Tiktok’s fastest growing community: ‘BookTok’
The # BookTok has amassed 32.3 million posts on Tiktok and the online community continues to grow and enter different platforms.
‘BookTok’ is a term used to describe the side of Tiktok where the app’s book recommendations and reviews lurk. The global pandemic of 2020 saw an alt side of the app grow to unbelievable size, when groups of avid readers gathered online to discuss their favourite books and authors.
You may be familiar with the name Colleen Hoover by now, her mega-hit romance novel It Ends With Us sold over 4 million copies, after gaining popularity from Tiktok users. The novel’s film is set to release on the 21st June, nearly 8 years after the novel’s debut in 2014. The film’s release is much-anticipated and stars the likes of Blake Lively, and Jane The Virgin’s Justin Baldoni.
It Ends With Us isn’t the only novel to have taken the online community by storm, the collective of ‘Book-Tokkers’ and its sister groups of ‘Bookstagram’ have been known to delve into a vast variety of genres. Romance, fantasy and coming-of-age have led discussions, with millions of users sharing reviews, recommendations, events and overall fan content for characters and authors alike.
It Ends With Us first look. Image courtesy of Getty Images
Users have been sharing and taking part in discussions since before the pandemic, but the lockdown enabled fandoms to grow closer, and gave audiences more time to consume and create media online without their regularly scheduled work/school lives.
Brittany of @BookishMillenial on Bookstagram and Book-tok says, “I started my TikTok for BookTok in early 2022, but I know that it really took off before then during the pandemic…what was great about TikTok is that it's so accessible to anyone. It's a free app, and people were so authentic in their videos. At least I think in the beginning. And sharing from like their bathrooms, their bedrooms.”
Brittany continues, “It wasn't about aesthetics, it was just about talking about books and building community and feeling represented and seen. And I think that's a big part of why they were able to build such a huge community is that people finally were able to divest. I think the pandemic taught us to divest from the grind, the overproduction, being so committed to being like capitalism's baby.”
When we talk Brittany emphasises the importance of being able to see yourself and your experiences in the media you consume. Social media strategists say that BookTok users are 4X more likely to be female than male*, and a fleeting glance at the platform shows this to be true.
Many people have taken to the web to ridicule the readers, and diminish their hobby into a childish, overly sexual activity done out of boredom. Many of the community may have arrived from fan-fiction writing platform Wattpad, but is it the occasionally-corny romance novels or is it the overwhelming portion of women involved that make it a target for jeering?
Avid reader and fellow Bookstagram blogger Maddy of @Maddysbookopinions says, “The way that women are socialised is that we love to chat things out, and we are told that we should chat things out and discuss things. And I think that that makes women more likely to reach out to these platforms to talk about their interests in this way.”
“A lot of the times I've realised we aren't taken very seriously for what we enjoy. And to see that we can create spaces for each other and ourselves, where we can talk about these things honestly and be taken seriously is incredibly freeing and important to a lot of people. It's a combination of things, but I think the majority of it comes down to forming a valid and important community.” she says.
The time to pick up a new hobby wasn’t the only thing the pandemic left room for, many felt isolated and experienced mental health issues due to loneliness. Online communities like that of BookTok are exemplary ways to communicate with people and share connections, as well as making real friends in possibly unexpected ways.
So if you’re in the market for a new pastime, take a scroll on BookTok, or take a trip to #Bookstagram on Instagram and maybe you’ll find your new favourite novel, or even a new friend. And if books aren’t your thing, wait to see It Ends With Us in cinemas this June.