Research shows that frequently reading can enhance creativity, improve memory and reduce stress. Yet in 2020, the National Endowment for the Arts reported nearly 50 percent of college-aged people do not read books outside of work or school; a greater percentage when compared to previous generations.
Many factors such as increased screen time and declining attention spans might point to why there are fewer college-aged students reading.
Junior Raghav Arun said he thinks many of his peers do not even see reading for class to be worth their time, as it isn’t necessary for success in the class.
Despite these challenges, there is a counterforce encouraging Generation Z to read — that force is #BookTok.
BookTok is a sub-community on TikTok that converses about and promotes books of many different genres. As of this year, the hashtag has garnered 370 billion views and 52 million posts, according to the platform.
“Books that I know [that became] popular on TikTok, like the [A Court of Thorns and Roses] series and Fourth Wing, I heard from a lot of people that those were the first books they picked up for fun in years,” junior Isabel Gray said.
Genres like romance and fantasy have been particularly successful on BookTok. Gray said she likes them because they are easy to get into and are captivating.
Frances Gasior, a bookseller at Daughters Coffee & Books, a cafe-bookstore in Durham, theorizes that these genres are popular today because they are more relatable for young people. These books, while entertaining, can also cover serious topics like colonialism, mental health or sexual consent. Having an online community to interact with about these issues can be helpful for many young people’s development, they said.
Prior to BookTok’s creation, the book chain Barnes & Noble was in decline, but since the hashtag, the company has increased their book sales and opened more stores. Gasior said the platform has also been helpful for local businesses. Because of BookTok’s influence on the sale of physical books, the shelves at Daughters Coffee & Books are stocked with many books recommended by BookTok creators, Gasior said.