Is BookTok anti-intellectual?
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Current discourse on TikTok centers on the popularization of easy reads.
“BookTok” is a community of people using the popular social media app TikTok to discuss topics surrounding books and literature. Over the past couple of years, discourse regarding the dangers of BookTok has risen. Some of the critiques voiced online about BookTok include its recommendation of books that are not “intellectually stimulating,” its support of simplistic tropes, and how promoting cartoony covers with adult content—which can be misleading to children—is harmful.
As previously mentioned, many have claimed that BookTok is not intellectual enough—or to be extreme—anti-intellectual. The question then stands: Does BookTok need to be for intellectuals? What some are not considering is that reading does not inherently need to be intellectually stimulating. Many people enjoy reading for entertainment purposes only. When discussing this debate on TikTok, user Eden Widener commented, “Why can’t there be both? Sometimes I read for vibes and entertainment, sometimes I read to challenge my mind. Both are okay.” It is important to understand that not everyone is looking for the same result when reading.
Each reader has the right to read what they love without being criticized. As someone who studies ethnographic texts—a systematic and descriptive record of data collected to analyze a culture’s social relations, according to Princeton University—I look for non-intellectually stimulating books to read in my free time. Like many others, I find time for both academic and casual reading. In other words, I have found a balance that works for me.
My biggest problem with those who claim BookTok is not intellectually stimulating lies in this truth: No one said it has to be. TikToker bookishnadi explains why she calls those criticizing BookTok elitist by stating, “Nobody is calling you elitist for enjoying classic literature or enjoying books that have great writing in them…but what I am calling you elitist for is lording it over people's heads and making people feel bad for the books people like to read.”
People are allowed to read at any level and in any way they would like; criticizing those for reading books “beneath” you will, unfortunately, probably do nothing for you other than make you look pretentious.
Those who say the online book community encourages anti-intellectualism often specify the focus on books with simple tropes, with a particular focus on the romance genre. These people do not consider BookTok a platform for book analysis; instead, it is a book recommendation and a space for other people to share what they enjoy. Explaining simple tropes is a great starting point for new readers, those trying to get back into reading, or readers new to a genre. Tropes like “starcrossed lovers,” “fake dating,” and the infamous “love triangle,” are used across almost all media and are a great way to inform a new reader about the vibes of a book without spoiling any of its major content!
Another source of discourse on Booktok is how books with adult content have “cartoony” or rather illustrative covers. The reason this has become a problem is that children and parents of young children feel they are being misled about the adult content contained in some of these books. They see a cute cartoon cover and assume it is appropriate for children to read. I personally do not have a problem with the covers themselves, and despite the common phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover,” I am often drawn to books with aesthetically pleasing covers myself. How do we solve this problem, then?
Well, I don’t think we need to scrap the doodle-y covers and make adult books look like a Fabio Lanzoni photoshoot. Instead, I think we can keep the cartoon covers but add an explicit warning or marker on the book cover so readers of all ages know what the content is—like we would for an album.
A positive contribution made by Booktok is that it has been used to entice new readers. Readers on both sides of the BookTok debate should recognize that readership has increased since the wake of BookTok and brought a sense of community to a hobby often seen as a solitary act.
It’s important to note that most TikTokers are not academic geniuses but instead normal people simply sharing their opinions on the books they have read. At its best, Booktok is a space to encourage reading and participation in the discourse of a shared interest in literature.