Even though less people are reading nowadays, it doesn’t feel like that due to the rapid growth of reading communities on social media. With this expansion, the number of people who take their own opinions far too seriously is more pronounced, causing more criticism within the reading community.
Obviously, there are still plenty of supportive people on “BookTok” and “BookStagram,” it’s a great place to find good recommendations. These platforms are so relevant in the book community that many bookstores have “#BookTok” tables, featuring the most viral books everyone is raving about online.
While Instagram and TikTok have people giving great book recs and talking positively about others starting to read again, they also have people tearing others down for what they’re reading. People who read “spicy” romances or stick to one genre often get the brunt of this attack because these toxic community members believe they are above others.
No matter what the reasoning is, bringing others down because of what they read strongly discourages people from sharing their opinions for fear of being dragged.
Another factor adding into the toxicity of the reading community is the hate against audiobooks. While, yes, they are becoming increasingly popular and more widely accepted, they continue to be ridiculed for not having the visible elements of a book.
The belief that audiobooks aren’t real books divides the reading community, that alienates the 52% of American adults who have tried an audiobook. Audiobooks are essential for those who can not read traditional books because of conditions such as dyslexia and other reading difficulties.
Even for those without such conditions, there are many upsides to audiobooks, such as the ability to multitask while listening, helping readers with word pronunciation and the reduction of eyestrain. Another upside is immersive reading, the act of reading a physical copy whilst listening to the audiobook to become fully encased in the story.
In addition, the number of books people read in one year is yet another topic that can often get pretty heated. This book count is taken far more seriously than it needs to be and is turned into a competition of who can read the most.
This poses the idea that the number of books someone reads in one year is more important than what they read, leading to people paying less attention to what they’re reading in an effort to simply finish their book.
Comparison in these reading counts discourages people and makes them think they are less of a reader because they didn’t read as much as another person on social media. Everyone has different amounts of time dedicated to reading, each reading books of a different length and at a different pace.
While it’s fun to set a goal for how many books someone wants to read in a year, everyone’s goal is going to look different and it’s never worth taking too seriously. People are reading and that’s all that matters.
Overall, the reading community should be more accepting of everyone, no matter the formats they use, the number of books they read, or the genres they prefer. More and more people find themselves reading for fun and this is something everyone should be happy for; there’s no gatekeeping needed for imaginary worlds.
