A Millennial’s Frustrating Encounter With BookTok

When aesthetics and oversensitivity overshadow the essence of reading

Image created by the author on PlaygroundAI

I vowed never to begrime my character with “TikYuck” — but, admittedly, I yielded. In desperate self-justification, I convinced myself that since this was purely for research, it warranted a teensy moral escape clause.

Nevertheless, I must admit defeat to this digital titan.

I was pulled in by an alluring sub-community called BookTok that supposedly promotes reading in younger people. There was a point of hesitation, but since I had already blown my chances at the pearly gates by creating a TikTok account, I saw no point in retreating.

These are my discoveries.

Has BookTok fallen to influencers?

BookTok blew up during COVID lockdowns and has since become so commonplace that traditional bookstores — you know, those holes in the walls we walk past in the analog world — now display best-selling lists “as seen on TikTok.”

According to the Publishers Association, a poll of over 2,000 young adults aged between 16–25 revealed that nearly 60% found a passion for reading through BookTok, with two-thirds stating it inspired them to read books that “they would have never considered…