Read Whatever I Tell You: Bookclub vs Booktube

For today’s book lovers, ‘Bookstagram’, ‘Booktube’ and ‘Booktok’ are all familiar terms. Turning to your favourite online literary lover for book recommendations is common practice. The influence of social media on the literary scene has been unprecedented, but is this a positive or negative shift in the world of books? And what caused it?

A decade or so ago, there was an anxiety in the literary world surrounding the increase in technology and subsequent decrease in engagement with literature amongst children and young people. A study by the National Literacy Trust in 2021 shockingly revealed that only 3 in 10 children and young people read something in their daily spare time, and this number is on an annual steady decrease. This is an epidemic. The recent boom in literature focused social media content creators seems to be responding by saying: if you can’t beat them, join them. If this new generation has turned to screens and online personalities rather than pages and fictional characters, the only option is to spark an interest in literature through a medium which they understand. 

With more and more people sharing their love of books online, young people talking about literature has once again become customary as they excitedly await new posts from their favourite booktuber. These figures can become like a best friend or a role model as their audience feels as though they know them personally via their frequent posting and reading updates. Jack Edwards is the perfect example of this new generation of online book fanatics. When you type his name into YouTube, ‘Jack Edwards book recommendations’ is the first suggested search to appear. He has spent the last five years building a loyal online community of book lovers who now wholeheartedly trust his literary opinions and recommendations. Famous for his ‘reading all of *insert pop culture celebrity name*’s book recommendations’ videos, Edwards has become hugely popular with over 800k subscribers to his YouTube channel and almost 250k Instagram followers. 

Although people like Jack, and book social media in general, have worked wonders for the literary community, we can’t ignore the negative side effects. The increased use of the internet to find and shop for your next read means that face-to-face interaction amongst readers has been significantly reduced. With fewer people entering physical bookshops and libraries, in-person book clubs are becoming a thing of the past. The inspiring feeling of being surrounded by walls and walls of books with endless narrative possibilities is slowly becoming alien to the new generation of readers. Why make an unnecessary journey when you can find your new read on Booktube and have it on your doorstep the next morning? With the world becoming ever more efficient, we are losing the magic of books.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been hugely positive for book sales, with people having more time on their hands, reading is on the increase. The Bookseller found that it caused the biggest rise in the books market since 2007 with the volume of print books growing by 5.2 percent compared with 2019. However one must not overlook the ways in which the lockdown measures have further accelerated the movement of the literary community from in-person to online. 

The reading community is something that (like the rest of the world) is rapidly becoming virtual. As a result of this we find ourselves asking: has the magic of reading been lost, or was this simply a necessary shift?

By Sophie Aurangzeb