Depending on what side of the internet you’re on, you may or may not have heard of “BookTok”, a section of TikTok dedicated to reading and anything pertaining to books. It involves genres ranging from mystery to romance to fantasy, and thousands of videos for readers to relate to. With the rise of the internet, BookTok seems like a great way for literature to persevere and reach new audiences but over the past few years, BookTok has changed reading for the worse.
The standards for what is considered a well-written book have dropped alarmingly low. This is partly due to many authors preferring to make a quick profit from their work rather than taking the time to ensure that it is done well; quantity over quality at its finest.
Many people make the argument that as long as the book is entertaining then it’s enough for them, but in my experience, a story could be immensely entertaining but if it’s poorly written then that entertainment tends to be fleeting and it becomes a chore to read. Instead of an enjoyable hobby, finishing the book becomes akin to completing a tedious task.
Another major issue about stories being produced recently is that they’re all the same. The same characters, the same plot, sometimes even the same scenes. If a book gets popular on BookTok you can be sure that the next 40 books that get popular will be carbon copies of the first one. It is beyond monotonous to read and watch people hype up stories that have already been done before. Where has the creativity gone? Has it died due to lack of ambition? Greed? Flat-out laziness?
Whatever the reason, one thing’s for sure, BookTok is the cause.
Through terrible recommendations, the promotion of poor-quality books, and the popularization of harmful tropes, BookTok has distorted reading from what it once was. It has corrupted an art form, mutating it into yet another farm for greed.
