I work in retail, everyday someone comes in so excited that they have to tell me, that the thing they're looking for is from tick tok and it's always something so stupid that we thought it wouldn't sell. But than it sells out. The majority of people are influenced by anything with a bit of enthusiasm behind it.
0:25 I call this the Filter Effect. What people don't seem to realize is that most art produced in every era is garbage that is immediately consigned to obscurity and forgotten. The reason it FEELS like there was more great art in past times is because all of that art has gone through an extensive filtering process across a multiple generations, and only the art that has survived that scrutiny is still around decades or centuries later. The art released during out lifetimes has not gone through this process, so we are exposed to not only the wheat, but also all of the chaff. The same process occurs for all forms of art. Music, film, books, etc. It's not that old art is better, or that people were smarter, it's that the only old art that is still around after multiple generations of scrutiny are the great works.
It’s kind of cyclical. This happened when reviewers went from writing on book blogs, and then people moved to UA-cam and we got BookTube. It happened when Instagram came about and we got Bookstagram. As new social media’s emerge, new communities will as well, or they will migrate from older platforms. And a whole new generation will be introduced to reading. I think for some people reading will be a phase. For others, it will become a lifelong hobby! Particularly for young people I think it’s amazing no matter what they’re reading. I remember being 15 and discovering fanfiction. My English grades increased term over term, until I was getting A’s by the end of the year. In hindsight it was all because I went from reading nothing, to regularly reading. I then started getting books from my school library eventually after that. Influencing young people to read is going to be amazing for their literacy skills no matter what it is they start reading. I think the pros outweigh the cons for me in this regard!
These a vast difference between using Tiktok to get ideas of the books you should read... its when individuals use tiktok to become pseudo intellectuals and get themes, philosophies, ideas, or misinformation from viewing 12 15 sec clips. They miss the context of the quote or work. They also miss out on the whole experience. Book tok allows individuals to FEEL like they are parcipants in inllectual literary discussion... however, they have not grown or read anything to get that experience. Also, Booktokers influence works as shills for publisbing companies and it is very common that half of them didnt read the work either.
Honestly these book tubers on any other plafformers pass themselves off as intellectuals isn’t any better. I think reading anything is a positive to society and to our short attention spans
Here's the thing though, is it truly just "another source of bad recommendations" or is it the largest source in human history for mischaracterizing how to value reading? There is a very weird over emphasis on the aesthetic of being a reader, of having all these books, of being a consumer on book tok, but there is a distinct lack of valuing actually reading and actually thinking about it. Instead, the focus is entirely on consuming what inherently isn't or shouldn't be just a consumerist product. What it's also doing is encouraging boiling books down to short form interaction, putting an emphasis on "look what I read, look what I'm reading!" Which is incredibly faux, for one, and just absolutely discourages any form of significant cognitive action, for two. Because when you take things of inherent intellectual value and turn them into a status symbol they are used for making you appear a certain way, and the actual value is discarded. Why I believe this is an issue is because when behaviour like this becomes normalized, which to an extent it always has been but not even close to the degree that social media has blown it up to, it becomes all too easy to devalue everything else. It is especially odd and hard to swallow when this happens to what is, at its purest form, an art. I don't think being encouraged to engage with art on a superficial level, which is something you neglect to acknowledge and is the unfortunate truth of booktok, is a good thing. I think its damaging.
I think people get way too influenced by the recommendations on that app and try to read everything, even the things that they might not like. Then after reading a book half heartedly just for the aesthetic and to seem relevant, they give it bad reviews. This further influences other people who might’ve picked up the book out of actual curiosity to not read it, making them possibly miss out on some life changing text. All in all, according to me, one should start slow and really discover what their likes and dislikes are and accordingly choose the books that they want to read.
personally what I feel is that people's choice and likes and dislikes are being ruined by booktok. They are pretending to like what the majority likes and vice versa just to fit in?
It’s like with popular hip-hop, only one type of aesthetic seems to get that major push so the younger audiences gravitate toward it, sometimes for the absolute worst. All the while there’s progressive, forward thinking art being made just below the surface that can’t seem to break through
I don’t feel “ruined” by Booktok or any other book recommendations. I listen to the reviewer and then make my own decisions on whether to read it or not. Also, seek out other reviews on the same recommendations. What I find interesting is that providers come from so many varied backgrounds: socioeconomic, religious, lifestyles, ages, “races, creeds, and colors”. All have something to say and some book to recommend. Some I discount immediately; others I subscribe immediately. Aside: I enjoy reader’s written comments. I’ve run across some that state “ this book is the best thing since sliced white bread” and on the same book another will write “ this book is the worst thing since sliced white bread “.
Honestly I don’t like book tok kind of books but at this point reading at all is a huge plus for me. Got to keep it alive. Honestly anyone who shits on book tok is sniffing his own farts a bit. I am often that kind of person but again getting someone into reading no matter the medium is a huge thing
the aesthetics of reading is paramount on booktok, reading the book is not so important...
Ha as an avid reader, even to me the aesthetic of reading is a huge aspect. Why would I read if they were awful?
TikTok is such a terrible app, it has ruined almost everything.
I work in retail, everyday someone comes in so excited that they have to tell me, that the thing they're looking for is from tick tok and it's always something so stupid that we thought it wouldn't sell. But than it sells out. The majority of people are influenced by anything with a bit of enthusiasm behind it.
0:25 I call this the Filter Effect. What people don't seem to realize is that most art produced in every era is garbage that is immediately consigned to obscurity and forgotten. The reason it FEELS like there was more great art in past times is because all of that art has gone through an extensive filtering process across a multiple generations, and only the art that has survived that scrutiny is still around decades or centuries later. The art released during out lifetimes has not gone through this process, so we are exposed to not only the wheat, but also all of the chaff.
The same process occurs for all forms of art. Music, film, books, etc. It's not that old art is better, or that people were smarter, it's that the only old art that is still around after multiple generations of scrutiny are the great works.
Well said
It’s kind of cyclical. This happened when reviewers went from writing on book blogs, and then people moved to UA-cam and we got BookTube. It happened when Instagram came about and we got Bookstagram. As new social media’s emerge, new communities will as well, or they will migrate from older platforms. And a whole new generation will be introduced to reading. I think for some people reading will be a phase. For others, it will become a lifelong hobby! Particularly for young people I think it’s amazing no matter what they’re reading. I remember being 15 and discovering fanfiction. My English grades increased term over term, until I was getting A’s by the end of the year. In hindsight it was all because I went from reading nothing, to regularly reading. I then started getting books from my school library eventually after that. Influencing young people to read is going to be amazing for their literacy skills no matter what it is they start reading. I think the pros outweigh the cons for me in this regard!
These a vast difference between using Tiktok to get ideas of the books you should read... its when individuals use tiktok to become pseudo intellectuals and get themes, philosophies, ideas, or misinformation from viewing 12 15 sec clips. They miss the context of the quote or work. They also miss out on the whole experience.
Book tok allows individuals to FEEL like they are parcipants in inllectual literary discussion... however, they have not grown or read anything to get that experience.
Also, Booktokers influence works as shills for publisbing companies and it is very common that half of them didnt read the work either.
Honestly these book tubers on any other plafformers pass themselves off as intellectuals isn’t any better. I think reading anything is a positive to society and to our short attention spans
Here's the thing though, is it truly just "another source of bad recommendations" or is it the largest source in human history for mischaracterizing how to value reading? There is a very weird over emphasis on the aesthetic of being a reader, of having all these books, of being a consumer on book tok, but there is a distinct lack of valuing actually reading and actually thinking about it. Instead, the focus is entirely on consuming what inherently isn't or shouldn't be just a consumerist product.
What it's also doing is encouraging boiling books down to short form interaction, putting an emphasis on "look what I read, look what I'm reading!" Which is incredibly faux, for one, and just absolutely discourages any form of significant cognitive action, for two. Because when you take things of inherent intellectual value and turn them into a status symbol they are used for making you appear a certain way, and the actual value is discarded.
Why I believe this is an issue is because when behaviour like this becomes normalized, which to an extent it always has been but not even close to the degree that social media has blown it up to, it becomes all too easy to devalue everything else. It is especially odd and hard to swallow when this happens to what is, at its purest form, an art. I don't think being encouraged to engage with art on a superficial level, which is something you neglect to acknowledge and is the unfortunate truth of booktok, is a good thing. I think its damaging.
I think people get way too influenced by the recommendations on that app and try to read everything, even the things that they might not like. Then after reading a book half heartedly just for the aesthetic and to seem relevant, they give it bad reviews. This further influences other people who might’ve picked up the book out of actual curiosity to not read it, making them possibly miss out on some life changing text. All in all, according to me, one should start slow and really discover what their likes and dislikes are and accordingly choose the books that they want to read.
personally what I feel is that people's choice and likes and dislikes are being ruined by booktok. They are pretending to like what the majority likes and vice versa just to fit in?
It’s like with popular hip-hop, only one type of aesthetic seems to get that major push so the younger audiences gravitate toward it, sometimes for the absolute worst. All the while there’s progressive, forward thinking art being made just below the surface that can’t seem to break through
To be honest, your attractiveness made me keep watching these videos, but you have made me want to return to Cormac McCarty.
Honestly I’d say yes for recommendations
I don’t feel “ruined” by Booktok or any other book recommendations. I listen to the reviewer and then make my own decisions on whether to read it or not. Also, seek out other reviews on the same recommendations.
What I find interesting is that providers come from so many varied backgrounds: socioeconomic, religious, lifestyles, ages, “races, creeds, and colors”. All have something to say and some book to recommend. Some I discount immediately; others I subscribe immediately.
Aside: I enjoy reader’s written comments. I’ve run across some that state “ this book is the best thing since sliced white bread” and on the same book another will write “ this book is the worst thing since sliced white bread “.
Good video keep it up❤
Honestly I don’t like book tok kind of books but at this point reading at all is a huge plus for me. Got to keep it alive. Honestly anyone who shits on book tok is sniffing his own farts a bit. I am often that kind of person but again getting someone into reading no matter the medium is a huge thing