I remember when I was in primary school, almost every night without fail I would go to bed and read, or be read to. Every single one of my friends would do the same; we would all power through books as though they were only a few pages long – not hundreds. 

However, being a teenager in the 21st century means, for most, when we’re not at school or out with friends, a lot of our time will be spent on screens, on something like social media or Netflix. So how is it that the social media app most popular with our generation reigniting so many people’s interest in reading? Let me introduce you to Booktok, the niche ‘side’ of TikTok that’s getting millions back into reading. 

Booktok is an online community where people discuss books. It’s that simple. Some videos can garner up to millions of views in just discussing a few books. With this large number of views for an even bigger number of videos, it is increasingly encouraging more and more people to get back into reading. Who would have thought that spending time on our screens could lead so many to spending time with books instead?

Within Booktok, there are books that gain extreme popularity causing more people to read them and talk about them, therefore making them even more popular. Some examples of the most popular “Booktok” books include Six of Crows, The Song of Achilles and We Were Liars. These books become so popular that it’s not uncommon to go into a local Waterstone and see an “as seen on Booktok” table or section. 

What’s even more interesting is that Booktok actually holds influence how well books can do in terms of selling, too. Take E. Lockhart’s book We Were Liars, for example. Though it was released in 2014, thanks to its newfound popularity on Booktok last summer, it was able to get onto the bestseller list six years after its release.

So, if you’re ever bored of scrolling through social media or looking for something new to watch on Netflix, try checking out Booktok!