Clare Sellers
Reading has always been a great escape for those who love it. It offers people the chance to be a part of enchanting stories about lives we aren’t currently living. But is the ever-emerging popularity of competitive reading on Book Twitter and Booktok turning a peaceful activity into a stressful sport?
Areas on social media such as ‘Book Twitter’ and ‘Booktok’ on TikTok allow readers to exchange thoughts and ideas on their current reads, creating spaces for debate and discussion with other readers. However, the atmosphere of these spaces has changed recently, and to be active on them is to seemingly participate in reading as a competition. It is becoming more prevalent to share the number of books you have read each month or year and to compare that number with others.
“It is this effect that causes readers to avoid taking part in these areas on social media”
Avid reader Mahi from Twitter told me: “On Book Twitter and Booktok though, it can be easy to feel inadequate when some people’s goals can be 200 books a year compared to my 30. I’ve never particularly liked the atmosphere of Book Twitter/Booktok anyway. and that’s why I myself have never partaken in it.” It is this effect that causes readers to avoid taking part in these areas on social media, as they see the competition as a stress inducer that could potentially ruin the joy one gets from reading.
However, this is not the case for everyone. Member of Book Twitter, Daisy Tina, explained: “I actually really like competitive reading. This is because I’m not sporty, or into things that are usually competitive. I love reading and interacting with people about books. I find that the competitive side motivates me to read and feel like I’ve accomplished something. I like to improve and I find it fun.”
“Some can be left feeling defeated by seeing how much others have been able to read.”
There is clearly a love-hate relationship developing between certain readers and these platforms. It seems the act of comparing numbers began with the introduction of Goodreads reading challenge in 2011, but has increased in popularity significantly over the last few years. The annual challenge creates an incentive for people to try and read more than they may have the previous year. However, this doesn’t work for everyone, and some can be left feeling defeated by seeing how much others have been able to read.
Booklover Mikayla Stevenson elaborated on this: “I can’t keep up with the whole reading for competition thing and it sucks because it’s not like I don’t like reading- I’m just not motivated enough to keep up.”
There is too much pressure being placed on those who partake in these social media spaces to be able to read as much as the next person can, and it can change something that is supposed to be fun and relaxing into something stressful and dreaded.
In light of this, it is easy to see how these community spaces could become toxic to those who use them.
Twitter user Mahi expanded on this: “This hobby for fun is taken so seriously in regards to opinions when it’s supposed to be something I use to relax away from social media. Combining the two has usually for me meant that I eventually end up enjoying reading/books less, so I try to avoid it as much as possible now. I understand the appeal of wanting to talk about your favourite books with other people, but Book Twtitter/Booktok has just never seemed like a comfortable space for me to do so.”
“There is a balance needed between sharing our own successes and not allowing the success of others to create unwanted competition.”
The idea of feeling guilty for not being able to read as much as others is something obviously predominant among these groups, specifically when there are now so many platforms to discuss reading.
Facebook book club member Rosie spoke on this: “I’ve found that, now that life is a bit more digital, it’s not a major competition socially, but if you’re in a group of people who read a lot it does instantly become a comparison session, which can make you feel a bit guilty for not being at the same level as them- especially as I used to read all the time and now schoolwork takes up all of it.”
Clearly, then, there is a balance needed between sharing our own successes in reading and not allowing the success of others to create unwanted competition. These spaces are important to allow for discussion on a bigger scale, but it is evident that competitive reading can be a cause of stress and guilt.
Featured image courtesy of Alfons Morales on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
claresellers
I am a 20-year-old multimedia journalism student in my final year studying at the University of Salford