Over the last two decades, no one can deny that social media has exploded across the world and through all generations. Regardless of whether you are faithful to Facebook, an Instagram pal, an avid watcher of the clock app, or if you spurn them all together, it’s worth noting that social media in general has changed the way we communicate, interact and create with one another. People have built up communities, changed lives, and have created brands and companies through the power of engagement and interest. Today, we here at Bookstr would like to speak to one particular world that holds a special place in our collective heart.
Reading the Comments by Joseph M. Reagle Jr.
Bookstragram & Booktok are two separate bubbles that amount, more or less, to the same thing. They are two communities in which book lovers from far and wide can come together and unite over their common passion for books. Not that these bubbles are perfect utopias themselves, but they are, by and by, one of the more benign hubs within the internet world. They typically consist of a few different facets while all centering on the humble book.
The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson
One of the most common interactions within these shared spaces is that there is usually someone taking a photo or video of the book(s) they have read or recently bought. From there, they usually share their thoughts on what they’ve finished so far or take it a bit further to talk about a theme, subject, character, or even the overarching plot as a whole. This is where you’re most likely to see phrases such as “spoiler alert,” “ship,” or even the acronym “DNF.” The community is then created (no matter how small) by others who have viewed these videos or photos and then proceed to engage in different ways. This can look like commenting on a post, liking content, or creating discourse around shared or differing opinions on the established book choice(s).
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
It is from this point that the interesting part happens. If a viewer truly likes the person, the thoughts and points behind the video/photo delivery, or even the “aesthetic” of the content, they can then proceed to ‘follow’ them. Regardless of whether it’s a regular creator, mutual creator, or even just someone idly swiping through book recommendations, this can then lead to the growth of a ‘bookstagram/book to’ community. It sounds fairly simplistic, but this is often how genuine connections start online. No different than giving someone a compliment on their style or being a fan of a song that they overhear being played. And the truly beautiful thing is that you can truly reach people from all over, all from having a shared interest.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Have you ever engaged in Booktok or Bookstagram? Have you ever found a wonderful book or a horrible book, or a book that you just couldn’t get through? And can you attribute any of those findings to an internet space? If you have, you’ve been part of a community, and a rather old one at the core. After all, humans have been telling stories for thousands of years. So, truthfully, this isn’t really a new thing at all. It’s an old thing that has learned to grow wings, fly, and rename itself to carry on in our daily lives. There is something beautiful in that.
The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall
Even with close-knit community, its important to protect ourselves in this new digital age. Here’s a list of books about privacy that you can reference.
Interested in more books and genres within the technological? Click here.
