OPINION: BookTok and the battle over intellectualism

Georgia Mast, a freshman studying English, discusses the need for a nuanced conversation about reading habits and literary gatekeeping.

Sharing reading habits on the internet is not a new concept. BookTok’s predecessors, including Bookstagram, Booktube, and sites like Goodreads, have been enhancing the literary space since the early to mid-2010s and remain incredibly active: allowing bookworms to find their next best read, connect with other readers, and find reviews to help inform purchases. However, with new sources of connection comes new types of discourse. 

The rise of BookTok during the COVID-19 pandemic has revived old debates around how people choose to consume literature. While the political and ethical implications of an author's actions and beliefs and how they manifest in their writing is a concept of great nuance and value, not every online comment regarding book taste is as nuanced. So why do we read what we do? And how much does the answer to that question truly influence the benefits we glean from reading? 

Many seem to argue that the book world has become “Tik-Tokified.” That all writers and readers are interested in is producing and consuming the same cookie-cutter tropes, characters, and cliches in rapid succession. While many writers have been influenced in some way by what books BookTokers promote and express interest in, sometimes to a degree that can infringe on the integrity of a story's quality, saying that social media has comprehensively sucked out the substance of reading seems to be a stretch. 

It is true that markets are designed to cater to their evolving audiences, but we’ve seen shifts in the publishing space before with evidence to suggest that the majority of authors still continue to write the stories they and their unique reader bases want to see. Despite that, some online have taken it to the point of the extreme: classifying what seems to be almost all modern writing as unworthy of respect, its readers falling under the same category. 

Classics are integral to how we understand history and apply its teachings in a present-day setting. Their merit and cultural relevance should not be understated, and yet a problem arises when we attempt to create a competition of value between these pieces and what we understand as contemporary literature. Each genre, style, and age of literature has separate assets in terms of intellectual contributions, real-world commentary, and overall enjoyment for different readers: attempting to size each one up against the same standard and set of expectations sets those same readers up for disappointment. 

Harboring an assumption that everyone in the market for a good book ought to only cater towards one genre and read with one defined intent (leisure, intellectual value, etc.) creates a risk of turning away those interested in becoming involved in the literary world during a time when literacy is already in a global crisis: fueled by the rise of technology reliance in the lives of children and young adults. 

According to a National Endowment for the Arts survey, fewer than half of all adults read at least one book in 2022, and only 38 percent engaged with a piece of fiction. Rates among children have also seen a decline. The National Literacy Trust, a UK-based organization, found that in 2025, only 1 in 3 children ages 8 to 18 reported reading in their free time: the lowest in 20 years. This means the benefits tied to the comprehensively enriching hobby including: vocabulary and grammar development, reasoning skills, building of attention, expansion of empathy, and reduction of stress, are now more at risk than ever before.

Instead of casting value judgments on what draws different readers to the book space, we should focus on meeting them where they currently stand. There is a great importance in encouraging bookshelf diversification and expansion of literary interests, but it is entirely possible to understand the importance of everyone’s unique interests while still striving to make more conscious choices about the media we consume. If we allow ourselves to be divided by literature instead of utilizing it as a bridge to traverse productive conversations and discourse about how we see the world, then we risk missing the point of literature entirely.

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.