I haven't watched many of the "Is BookTube Toxic?" or "The Dark Side of BookTube" videos, so I appreciate your levelheaded take on several of the issues involved. The discussion over at Johanna's channel was a joy for me to participate in, and I thank you for your part in it, Lekden. My best wishes for your upcoming reads!
Thanks! It was wonderful to get to know you better, I truly enjoyed the conversation and your insight. While it aligned up perfectly with how I think about things, I had never put to language the idea of reading as an endeavor of creation. That framing is a really exciting and useful one, I think...
It was a tremendous pleasure getting to know you in our "Why Read?" discussion! ❤ I love how you brought up the popularity and number-driven productivity goals as not unique to BookTube and nothing new! You're so right that these things will never lead to fulfillment. This is part of why I created the "Why Read?" series. I'd burn out too quickly here if my channel focus was all about metric goals. It's not why I read. I figured my channel response to this would be to explore the qualitative "why" question to interrupt the metric-driven fixation that is so prevalent. As a result, I've had incredibly fulfilling, meaningful discussions, like the one I had with you and Philip about the power of stories in our lives. I was tagged in one of the BookTube Toxic Positivity? videos, and my short answer to that question is "no." There certainly are conflicts of interest on BookTube, which is very common. That said, even among the most clickbaity-aglo-chasing channels (a style I don't care for), I've never seen a creator blatantly lie about enjoying books they didn't enjoy. Creators with conflicts of interest might be more focused on what they liked and dismissive of what they didn't like; therefore, they might be consciously or unconsciously biased in that way, but I don't think that fits the accusation that people do this willfully to get books or deals with authors and publishers. I think it's more common for creators to choose your approach of refraining from talking about books they didn't enjoy. I find this accusation of toxic positivity on BookTube vague and baseless when no specific channels are addressed, but I also think calling out channels would be counter-productive and mean-spirited. Better, in my opinion, to promote what we're for on our channels as you did by stating your approach and preference. I believe the vast majority of viewers appreciate sincerity and honest engagement with books!
It _is_ hard, though. We live in a society that doesn't seem to value down time, time for introspection or relaxation. You can't just have a hobby, that hobby has to come with an Etsy store or some other monetization outlet; hustle culture has colonized our sense of play. In many ways I am incredibly fortunate... By choosing to be a monk I have very purposefully extricated myself from all of that. I am not saying I am a saint, just that I have the luxury of creating and environment for myself that is absent of normal, everyday householder concerns. That privilege makes it easier to not take part in some dominant cultural or societal trends. But I feel like most of the BookTubers I follow have a similar approach, and your "Why Read?" series is a perfect example of that. Bring the focus away from any sort of numbers game and back to the pleasure and play, to the personal fulfillment... Of course, that is attractive to people, since everyday culture can be so exhausting, sometimes.... I actually just scrapped a video today because I realized the complaints were maybe a little heavier than the praise. I had praise for it, but as I walked myself through my written review and talking points I realized I had to really stretch for the praise, and it was caveat after caveat. I want to share things that I enjoy, I think others will enjoy, or will help others think about something in a new or interesting way. That seems a more productive use of my tiny platform. I am not saying I won't make videos that are primarily critical, but there has to be a good reason for it. I know that there is a huge culture of making fun of things and critiquing them and dis culture is real, people love to rag on things... But that isn't really something I enjoy. I would always rather lift something up than push something else down.
I found your channel from your chat with the fantastic Johanna. You seem extremely wise and insightful, so of course I subscribed. I'm very interested in Buddhism as well, always have been. I was surprised during the discussion when you mentioned wanting to read Swan Song soon because McCammon happens to be my favorite author right now, and Swan Song is one of my favorites of his. I've read 16 of McCammon's books in the past year or so. Looking forward to your thoughts on that one when you get to it. 🙂
Thanks so much for your kind words! I was overjoyed when Johanna invited me over to her channel, and glad you enjoyed the conversation. Obviously everything I do is shaped by my Buddhist belief and practice, but so far it hasn't been something that I have directly addressed, I don't intend for this channel to be any sneaky propaganda 😂. It can't help but sneak in around all of the edges, though. I haven't read anything by McCammon yet, he just hovers perpetually on my TBR. That was part of my excitement about doing the "My Novel Life" challenge, it was an excuse to force myself to rescue some books from my TBR! I am excited for _Swan Song,_ but not sure if it will happen this month. Soon, though!
Thank you for segmenting your video, because this was a long video and I wanted to get to your philosphical views on BookTube Toxicity so I could tell you my thoughts. More than anything, I am glad that it's still kosher for there to be a place where we can discuss socio-political views. Don't take this wrong, just an observation, but with you being a Buddhist it makes easier to have these types of discussions, the hustle culture...just say it like I would, the proverbial they want us to become mindless consumers. I hope you understand what I am saying there about your religion. If you were a christian nun in religious attire... the words could be the same as yours and be taken differently. BookTube can be toxic if you are not on guard for its problems. One thing I noticed recently, with another creator's community poll, is that it seems most viewers, how ever they might call themselves superfans, still put the content above the creator. What I mean is, they asked the community if they wanted them to spend a month reading books DNF'd by other creators, and the majority of them said yes. How can a bunch of Bookworms want to put their mentor leader through a month of reading books that their trusted friends throw in the trash, unless they just want to see a trainwreck. That's when RUclips get's toxic...and the trainwrecks are pushed as well. Less popular opinion of mine, is that I believe RUclips is using the algorythm to try to guide and shape a viewers mind, and I feel sometimes they use bot-fueled clicks and likes and even subs to force a creator one way or another on a certain issue. I can't prove it, but the patterns are there. RUclips is my only social media evil. It's bad enough. THere is a toxic feeling that is associated with having clicks and likes, I know this because I still experience it. It's so bad that if someone really wants to keep it from negatively affecting them, they should check their engagement at certain time intervals instead of notifications, but let their be an unnatural shift in the amount of attention, I'll have a har time not checking back too frequently. BookTube is always going to be Toxic, because social media is so addicting. People might not want to believe it, because it isn't like them snorting a line or smoking a joint, but dopamine is one hell of a drug. I think Rick James said that...I'm Rick James, (Redacted)! 😄Satire!
Being a monk certainly invites a certain type of engagement. From my side there are also very clear expectations on what iot means to be a monk in the public sphere, and a recognition that I am (whether I want to be or not) a representative for my religion, and with that comes a responsibility. So I try to use my identity and the reaction it evokes to engage in hopefully interesting and thought-provoking discussions. There are a lot of questions about consumers valuing content over creator. To some extent, doing the opposite can be equally unhealthy, creating parasocial relationships that become a substitute for real life relationships, and that can distory reality. The aim is always for balance, in all things. If a content creator is willing to read DNFed books and makes that option available then hopefully they do so bevcause they can see a balanced way to integrate that activity into their life. If a content consumer wants to see a creator they follow read DNFed books because they are interested in the approach, analysis, and experience, that can be quite wholesome. If they are interested in it simply because they want to watch the person suffer or be unhappy, well that isn't wholesome. The external activity appears the same, but the internal motivation is wildly different. So I have to always remind myself that I can't actually know others' motivations, I can't see their minds, so best practice is paying close attention to my own motivation and making thyat as wholesome as I can.
Haha, well, it is a Slipknot song, so that's close. _A mirror only works if you open your eyes / But even then you have to understand what’s inside / The easy part is always hardest to see / I know you’ll never guess, but darling you’re so critical._ But you're right, glam punk would be more appropriate. Where are John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask when you need them?
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
I haven't watched many of the "Is BookTube Toxic?" or "The Dark Side of BookTube" videos, so I appreciate your levelheaded take on several of the issues involved. The discussion over at Johanna's channel was a joy for me to participate in, and I thank you for your part in it, Lekden. My best wishes for your upcoming reads!
Thanks! It was wonderful to get to know you better, I truly enjoyed the conversation and your insight. While it aligned up perfectly with how I think about things, I had never put to language the idea of reading as an endeavor of creation. That framing is a really exciting and useful one, I think...
It was a tremendous pleasure getting to know you in our "Why Read?" discussion! ❤
I love how you brought up the popularity and number-driven productivity goals as not unique to BookTube and nothing new! You're so right that these things will never lead to fulfillment. This is part of why I created the "Why Read?" series. I'd burn out too quickly here if my channel focus was all about metric goals. It's not why I read. I figured my channel response to this would be to explore the qualitative "why" question to interrupt the metric-driven fixation that is so prevalent. As a result, I've had incredibly fulfilling, meaningful discussions, like the one I had with you and Philip about the power of stories in our lives.
I was tagged in one of the BookTube Toxic Positivity? videos, and my short answer to that question is "no." There certainly are conflicts of interest on BookTube, which is very common. That said, even among the most clickbaity-aglo-chasing channels (a style I don't care for), I've never seen a creator blatantly lie about enjoying books they didn't enjoy. Creators with conflicts of interest might be more focused on what they liked and dismissive of what they didn't like; therefore, they might be consciously or unconsciously biased in that way, but I don't think that fits the accusation that people do this willfully to get books or deals with authors and publishers. I think it's more common for creators to choose your approach of refraining from talking about books they didn't enjoy. I find this accusation of toxic positivity on BookTube vague and baseless when no specific channels are addressed, but I also think calling out channels would be counter-productive and mean-spirited. Better, in my opinion, to promote what we're for on our channels as you did by stating your approach and preference. I believe the vast majority of viewers appreciate sincerity and honest engagement with books!
It _is_ hard, though. We live in a society that doesn't seem to value down time, time for introspection or relaxation. You can't just have a hobby, that hobby has to come with an Etsy store or some other monetization outlet; hustle culture has colonized our sense of play.
In many ways I am incredibly fortunate... By choosing to be a monk I have very purposefully extricated myself from all of that. I am not saying I am a saint, just that I have the luxury of creating and environment for myself that is absent of normal, everyday householder concerns. That privilege makes it easier to not take part in some dominant cultural or societal trends.
But I feel like most of the BookTubers I follow have a similar approach, and your "Why Read?" series is a perfect example of that. Bring the focus away from any sort of numbers game and back to the pleasure and play, to the personal fulfillment... Of course, that is attractive to people, since everyday culture can be so exhausting, sometimes....
I actually just scrapped a video today because I realized the complaints were maybe a little heavier than the praise. I had praise for it, but as I walked myself through my written review and talking points I realized I had to really stretch for the praise, and it was caveat after caveat. I want to share things that I enjoy, I think others will enjoy, or will help others think about something in a new or interesting way. That seems a more productive use of my tiny platform. I am not saying I won't make videos that are primarily critical, but there has to be a good reason for it.
I know that there is a huge culture of making fun of things and critiquing them and dis culture is real, people love to rag on things... But that isn't really something I enjoy. I would always rather lift something up than push something else down.
Well said.
I found your channel from your chat with the fantastic Johanna. You seem extremely wise and insightful, so of course I subscribed. I'm very interested in Buddhism as well, always have been. I was surprised during the discussion when you mentioned wanting to read Swan Song soon because McCammon happens to be my favorite author right now, and Swan Song is one of my favorites of his. I've read 16 of McCammon's books in the past year or so. Looking forward to your thoughts on that one when you get to it. 🙂
Thanks so much for your kind words! I was overjoyed when Johanna invited me over to her channel, and glad you enjoyed the conversation.
Obviously everything I do is shaped by my Buddhist belief and practice, but so far it hasn't been something that I have directly addressed, I don't intend for this channel to be any sneaky propaganda 😂. It can't help but sneak in around all of the edges, though.
I haven't read anything by McCammon yet, he just hovers perpetually on my TBR. That was part of my excitement about doing the "My Novel Life" challenge, it was an excuse to force myself to rescue some books from my TBR! I am excited for _Swan Song,_ but not sure if it will happen this month. Soon, though!
Thank you for segmenting your video, because this was a long video and I wanted to get to your philosphical views on BookTube Toxicity so I could tell you my thoughts.
More than anything, I am glad that it's still kosher for there to be a place where we can discuss socio-political views. Don't take this wrong, just an observation, but with you being a Buddhist it makes easier to have these types of discussions, the hustle culture...just say it like I would, the proverbial they want us to become mindless consumers. I hope you understand what I am saying there about your religion. If you were a christian nun in religious attire... the words could be the same as yours and be taken differently.
BookTube can be toxic if you are not on guard for its problems. One thing I noticed recently, with another creator's community poll, is that it seems most viewers, how ever they might call themselves superfans, still put the content above the creator. What I mean is, they asked the community if they wanted them to spend a month reading books DNF'd by other creators, and the majority of them said yes.
How can a bunch of Bookworms want to put their mentor leader through a month of reading books that their trusted friends throw in the trash, unless they just want to see a trainwreck. That's when RUclips get's toxic...and the trainwrecks are pushed as well.
Less popular opinion of mine, is that I believe RUclips is using the algorythm to try to guide and shape a viewers mind, and I feel sometimes they use bot-fueled clicks and likes and even subs to force a creator one way or another on a certain issue. I can't prove it, but the patterns are there.
RUclips is my only social media evil. It's bad enough. THere is a toxic feeling that is associated with having clicks and likes, I know this because I still experience it. It's so bad that if someone really wants to keep it from negatively affecting them, they should check their engagement at certain time intervals instead of notifications, but let their be an unnatural shift in the amount of attention, I'll have a har time not checking back too frequently.
BookTube is always going to be Toxic, because social media is so addicting. People might not want to believe it, because it isn't like them snorting a line or smoking a joint, but dopamine is one hell of a drug. I think Rick James said that...I'm Rick James, (Redacted)!
😄Satire!
Being a monk certainly invites a certain type of engagement. From my side there are also very clear expectations on what iot means to be a monk in the public sphere, and a recognition that I am (whether I want to be or not) a representative for my religion, and with that comes a responsibility. So I try to use my identity and the reaction it evokes to engage in hopefully interesting and thought-provoking discussions.
There are a lot of questions about consumers valuing content over creator. To some extent, doing the opposite can be equally unhealthy, creating parasocial relationships that become a substitute for real life relationships, and that can distory reality. The aim is always for balance, in all things. If a content creator is willing to read DNFed books and makes that option available then hopefully they do so bevcause they can see a balanced way to integrate that activity into their life. If a content consumer wants to see a creator they follow read DNFed books because they are interested in the approach, analysis, and experience, that can be quite wholesome. If they are interested in it simply because they want to watch the person suffer or be unhappy, well that isn't wholesome. The external activity appears the same, but the internal motivation is wildly different. So I have to always remind myself that I can't actually know others' motivations, I can't see their minds, so best practice is paying close attention to my own motivation and making thyat as wholesome as I can.
Nice check-in. I agree with your thoughts on the recent videos about toxic positivity.
Thanks! I don't doubt that it exists, it just doesn't intersect with my experiences in this space...
critical darlings would be a great name for a glam punk band.
Haha, well, it is a Slipknot song, so that's close. _A mirror only works if you open your eyes / But even then you have to understand what’s inside / The easy part is always hardest to see / I know you’ll never guess, but darling you’re so critical._
But you're right, glam punk would be more appropriate. Where are John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask when you need them?