Booktok Has Some Issues...Let's Talk.

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  • Опубликовано: 1 дек 2024
  • Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this video and I hope that it can open up the floor to some productive and respectful discourse. I know it can be a bit of a touchy subject, but I tried my best to approach it from my perspective in a thoughtful and considerate manner. Let me know what your thoughts are about Booktok (good or bad!) and thank you so much for watching! xx
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Комментарии • 66

  • @alliewithbooks
    @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +16

    Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this video and I hope that it can open up the floor to some productive and respectful discourse. I know it can be a bit of a touchy subject, but I tried my best to approach it from my perspective in a thoughtful and considerate manner. Let me know what your thoughts are about Booktok (good or bad!) and thank you so much for watching! xx

  • @jennireadsmaybe
    @jennireadsmaybe Месяц назад +31

    I completely agree!! Mainstream BookTok avoids criticism from the wider community or make makes it a "if you criticize this one thing it means you hate me/are bullying me." Also, I love how you phrased it as being more centered around escapism, because so much of the comments around not wanting to read diversely support the narrative that if you're reading for escape you don't have to read diversely.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +5

      I definitely get the feeling that a good chunk of the booktok community doesn’t realize that a lot of us are critiquing what goes on there not because we “hate them” or are “jealous of them”, but because a lot of us have been in this community for so long and we’ve seen all of this happen before. They’ve never liked taking our advice/help, so the same issues get brought up again and again on a loop. It’s tough to watch 😅

  • @Onemorebookpodcast.
    @Onemorebookpodcast. Месяц назад +11

    Thank you for this, a so much needed conversation on all platforms IMO. I am a dark skinned black woman living in Germany & as a book content creator, not to be pessimistic but I don’t see myself ever blowing up just because of 1, my physical appearance & 2, the diverse books that I tend to read & recommend. But I am happy to have found my tribe online & in person & am just going to keep on doing what I am doing & hope to make an impact even in the smallest way possible.

  • @readbykate
    @readbykate Месяц назад +25

    I had to get rid of tiktok last winter.. I was spending so much of my time on there and I felt like everyone was morphing into the same person with the same style, and ideas, and likes, and dislikes and it started to feel so so toxic for me. this was a great video and I totally agree with your take!

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +3

      I feel like the algorithm definitely feeds off of that hive mind mentality!
      Thank you for watching 😊

    • @cani.j
      @cani.j Месяц назад

      @@alliewithbooks Well, aren't algorithms made to spread more negativity than positivity? That's what I heard even back when Facebook started. It keeps the people spending more time on the plattforms than having positive posts and contributions. It's a psychological thing. That's why I even stopped Instagram when I just registered there back again in order to find language exchange partners (in vain). (Plus Instagram is too much focused on the visual things which made it so much harder for me to reach my goal in finding one or two language exchange partners.)
      I gave up on soial media. Only thing I'm doing is watching RUclips, but I've also removed the thumbs up likes with an add on on my browser. It makes spending time on platforms like these more chill.
      Lovely greetings from Berliny, Germany :)

  • @Nostalgiababy
    @Nostalgiababy Месяц назад +6

    As a diverse booktoker myself I can admit I’ve fallen into the trap of saying that people should just look up diverse booktokers . But you gave an insightful perspective on the matter

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +4

      I totally understand, because people really should be searching for and engaging with diverse booktokers.

  • @ccbb8115
    @ccbb8115 Месяц назад

    thank you!!! even creators i like often say things like "if your booktok FYP isn't diverse, that's on you and how you built your algorithm", completely ignoring the fact that if a person has to intentionally go out of their way to make their recommendations diverse and to see a wide range of reviewers/authors/books, that's a flaw of the platform! having to go out of your way to construct a diverse feed, rather than the feed automatically recommending a diverse array of content, is a bad thing.

  • @thecozyarchives
    @thecozyarchives Месяц назад +2

    I completely agree that there’s a problem with it not being addressed as a community problem and just focusing on the individual. It’s so awesome that I watched this a day after I read an article called “The Influence of BookTok on Literary Criticisms and Diversity” you touched upon so many of the points of the article that your discussion feels like the perfect companion piece for it!

  • @johan0626
    @johan0626 Месяц назад +4

    I love the way you addressed this!
    I'm totally for people reading books however they want, but if a content creator is reviewing a book they should either have read the whole thing, or they should be honest about dnf-ing, skimming, etc. You mentioned giving recommendations when they've only partially read a book, but I'm even more concerned about the other way around. You can't say a book is bad or not worth reading if you've only skimmed it.
    That being said, I've been an avid reader my whole life, and I only found the booktube community through booktok, so I am thankful for it in that regard

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +1

      I think there’s a huge issue, that may be enabled through short form content, where reviewers are able to just say “this book is good” or “this book is bad” without any actual explanation as to how they arrived at that conclusion. For example, if someone DNF’s a book because they didn’t like the writing style or felt like it was poorly edited or found it to be problematic, I want to know those details instead of just hearing “this book was bad, dont read it” the way I feel I hear and see all the time on booktok. The short form content doesn’t encourage depth of thought or analysis.
      I think that’s why for me, booktok is merely a fun tool and not a place I would get the majority of bookish discourse from, if that makes any sense 😅

  • @JentheLibrarianreads
    @JentheLibrarianreads Месяц назад +1

    Really interesting discussion. It made me laugh when you spoke about people defending an algorithm because you’re so right, whenever I’ve tried to speak to booktockers about issues with the platform, people get so defensive and shut down the conversation. It has a lot of power in publishing, and it seems like people want to cling on to that power without reflecting on any damage they might be doing.

  • @ChattieTheMadChatter
    @ChattieTheMadChatter Месяц назад

    Not a booktoker, but I thought you were very eloquent and spoke about some really important points in a very accessible way - thank you (i have subscribed) 💜📚

  • @Nostalgiababy
    @Nostalgiababy Месяц назад +2

    Commenting as I watch: I definitely remember growing up on booktube

  • @KatisWritingStill
    @KatisWritingStill Месяц назад +1

    I have been getting super super frustrated over this very reason. As a disabled indie author part of the lgbtq community that legit does my best to have diverse characters across all my books. I get so annoyed that even after searching, and even with all my content being that diverse area of expertise. I still get the most random big names as my recs, like I haven't been tweeking this algorithm for a year. Its frustrating! I can't get anyone reading my books and I can't get ny book viral or get people talking because that algorithm stuffs and suppresses those books.
    Also most people don't know this but lgbtq tags including the gay tag get you reported and you can get your account suspended or even terminated if you use the wrong tags. (That tiktok themselves will give you) I used gay romance as a tag and got three strikes on my accound and got soft banned for a week. So i do want to say tiktok is actively suppressing lgbtq creators like me.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +1

      That last point is so true and something I should’ve mentioned in my video! It really adds to the point I made that the lack of diversity in booktok isn’t the fault of only individuals, but a systemic issue. TikTok itself doesn’t support or encourage diversity, and instead blocks it any chance it gets.
      Also, the fact that as a marginalized content creator myself, tiktok has never helped me when I try to report racism, homophobia, fatphobia, etc. also contributes to the hostile environment.

    • @KatisWritingStill
      @KatisWritingStill Месяц назад

      @@alliewithbooks yes exactly. I am a deaf and genderfluid author and I have noticed my content genuinely being surprised by their algorithm. And they do not actually let people report when you see harm being done.
      I came past a live the other night that said only cis het people over 18 thank you. Which of course is like probably really common but to just have that sign hanging behind your head is like what! And they were not being taken down or reported.

    • @minbyc
      @minbyc Месяц назад

      @@KatisWritingStillhey I’d love to read your book(s) if you feel comfortable sharing the title(s)!!

  • @oonareads
    @oonareads Месяц назад

    This was a great discussion! I had never heard of the skimming thing before today (coincidentally in an instagram reel I saw just before watching this video) and I agree about the potential for misleading viewers by giving recommendations without fully reading the book. I also think some people have taken that criticism too far to the point of saying everyone who reads more that 200 books in a year MUST be skimming and not really reading books (that’s what the reel I saw said) which really frustrates me too. I think we can talk about the potential issues with skimming books, and the focus lots of readers have on hitting a number goal without claiming everyone who says they read a lot is a liar, maybe they have a lot of free time or prioritize reading over most other things. Is it for everyone? No and it’s not always healthy, but it is possible to reads TONs of books without skimming

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +2

      Absolutely! I read quite a bit (not near 200 books a year, but my yearly books read isn’t too shabby) and it definitely has a lot to do with physical reading speed, amount of free time, access to audiobooks, etc.
      But I do always find it funny (and maybe a little concerning) when I’ve seen creators give the “hack” of skipping or skimming sections of books while “still retaining the overall idea of the book”. It’s interesting what people will admit to under certain circumstances.

  • @kitschannette3052
    @kitschannette3052 Месяц назад +8

    I can’t do tik tok, I’m in my late 30s and I prefer long format content on YT. I do have to scroll longer to find RUclipsrs of color talking about books. Every thumb nail is a young white girl holding books🤷🏽‍♀️ and I do watch those videos but it gets boring. I want diverse authors and diverse content creators. I think about creating my own channel out of frustration. Love your content Allie❤

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад

      I definitely feel like booktube has its own issues, especially with the dwindling number of creators and so many lifestyle influencers jumping into the booktube space.

  • @CoffeeOverApples
    @CoffeeOverApples Месяц назад

    YES! i agree! This is why I just get louder with my opinions. It is too much of an echo chamber.

  • @bentheoverlord
    @bentheoverlord Месяц назад

    This was a fantastic discussion :) Excellent vid !
    I've always found the algorithmn argument to be a bit in bad faith. Like for me I get a good diverse set of books and content creators but that took a lot of time and effort, Meanwhile my friends and family who are just getting into booktok are getting more cis hetero white romances on a whole and also not many creators who arent also cis white hetero, and its taken them weeks and weeks to finally curate stuff they want to read.
    The critique one really hits close, Ive found that its become really hyperbolic where valid critques are being ignored for either "this is the best book ever, if you say anything bad you are a hater" or "this is the worst book ever, if you like it you are a bad person".
    Another issue I currently have with booktok is the ads, about half of the booktok content i get is still just someone advertising a book that they are selling in a link which I find quite icky, especially when its every book they are reviewing.
    That being said I prefer booktube just because I like my content to be a little longer form, and although booktube has its "standard videos" I find them to be less like they are selling me something.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +1

      The ads are out of control on tiktok! I feel like whenever I’m on there, at least every other video is an ad or sponsored content.

    • @bentheoverlord
      @bentheoverlord Месяц назад

      @@alliewithbooks it’s actually shocking at this point.

  • @areadersalmanacwithceleste1366
    @areadersalmanacwithceleste1366 Месяц назад

    Absolutely agree. Also not a fan of the often ableist challenges that appear on tiktok in general. I feel like critical thinking skills are disappearing.

  • @the_eerie_faerie_tales
    @the_eerie_faerie_tales Месяц назад +5

    I love these discussuon videos! 😊

  • @habsareine8637
    @habsareine8637 Месяц назад +2

    I feel like I am reading the same thing with booktube.

  • @PoppyMorreale
    @PoppyMorreale Месяц назад

    Also I appreciate you shining a light to people who don’t experience and issues there valid

  • @lulucollins6173
    @lulucollins6173 Месяц назад +2

    Im not on tik tok but i do end up seeing some of the book tok because they get reposted on youtube and i have noticed i frequently see the same creators, same books and author been recommended. Honestly i try to stay away from Barnes and noble booktok tables the few times i have read some of those book i regret it.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад

      That’s such a bummer, but it definitely speaks to what I’ve seen happen time and time again. Unfortunately what gets pushed, especially to casual viewers or newcomers, are the most popular books which on booktok tend to feel as though they’re made on a conveyor belt. And I totally agree about the booktok tables at Barnes & Noble! The quality just isn’t there for most of those books.

  • @sagekay
    @sagekay Месяц назад +2

    I feel like content creators and influencers need to understand that if you’re recommending a product (books, clothes, makeup, brand), you are effectively co-signing every single thing that the product creators say/do. If you’re recommending and calling something your favorite product of all time, you are saying “this is something I agree with and think other people should engage with”. Is that 100% a representation of the influencer? No of course not, and critiquing things that are valid (like problematic behavior) is not an attack. But not FULLY consuming the product and doing the due diligence of researching what they’re promoting is an issue. If skill share turned out to be a shitty company, would we, the consumer, not expect every influencer to denounce them? And if they didn’t would we not call them out for that? I think about that a lot.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +3

      Perfectly put!! Definitely reminds me of the way so many influencers have continually worked with and promoted BetterHelp despite it being super problematic.

  • @JayGTheAwkwardBookworm
    @JayGTheAwkwardBookworm Месяц назад +1

    I refuse to download tiktok. I know I will spend hours scrolling so I don’t even let myself go on it 😂

  • @Buzzl0-0
    @Buzzl0-0 Месяц назад +1

    The funniest part is that its always the same books and the same exact tropes💀💀like i bought books from my local thrift store and i want to see book reviews on them and can barely find any🥹 like it sucks because especially the early 2000s books are amazing and i would love to see a creator talk about them and give them the attention they deserve like at this point ill start a youtube channel deticated for old books

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +1

      Yes!! Backlists are sooooo overlooked kind of across the online book community it’s such a bummer. I started reading The Thirteenth Tale, which came out in 2006, and I’ve rarely heard people online talk about it. It’s too bad because the book is really good!

  • @cani.j
    @cani.j Месяц назад +1

    That's why I will never be on TikTok 😌😌😌.
    Lovely greetings from Berlin, Germany :)

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +1

      Believe me, you’re not missing out at all! 😅
      ❤️

  • @_tannaj
    @_tannaj Месяц назад

    It’s not that I don’t agree with some of your points, but it’s just always a little funny to me that a lot of the “problems” people have with booktok are a lot of the same things people were saying about the literary space 200+ years ago. Different time, same conversations. I personally think unless someone is going to make another platform addressing these issues (b/c the current mainstream social media apps aren’t going to change) you kind of have to just roll with the punches. But also this isn’t just for booktok, it’s quite literally all mainstream media. We have to be the change we want to see.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад

      So you disagree that it has nothing to do with TikTok as a platform? And that the issues from 200+ years ago aren’t also informing the issues today? Booktok just exists in a vacuum outside of those two things?

    • @_tannaj
      @_tannaj Месяц назад

      @@alliewithbooks no…a lot of the problems that are stated in the video have been a problem for centuries, TikTok is just hosting the problem now. Which is why I’m saying the app is not necessarily the problem it’s society b/c these problems still exist off the app.

  • @ApricusInaros
    @ApricusInaros Месяц назад

    I see fast consumption on booktok and here on booktube. It's about to claim/brag how many books one can read in one month and that all the trending books have been read (being part of the it group). When did fast book consumption took off this way? I wonder, is it because of booktok? I notice so many "avid" readers who read 50-100 books per year, who can't remember the books contents. It's all a big competition. Read fast, read more than anyone else, read what booktok tells you is trending.
    What ever happened to reading for the sole joy of reading, to lean back in the armchair and let the lines linger in ones head, pondering, actually absorbing the story and taking a piece of it with you long after you turned the last page.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад

      Tbh as someone who has done the only reading like 10 books in a year, and has also done the reading 100+ books in a year I personally don’t see much of a difference in how much I retain or dont retain. I think what has actually made me remember the books I read has been making these videos over the years because I’m basically forced to remember them in order to talk about them every month.
      I think when it comes to booktok, because creators only need to talk about the books they read for less than a minute, there might be less retention of what each book they read is actually about. But I personally can’t speak to that because on RUclips I have so much more time to talk about the books I read and I think it comes across in my videos that I do genuinely remember the details of each book I read.
      There is also the point that not everyone reads for retention, which is also fine! But where creators/reviewers are concerned, I think there is an expectation that they should be able to speak coherently about a book they read 3 weeks ago. And if any specific creator can’t do that while also reading 100+ books a year, they might need to find a yearly reading goal that works better for them.
      I also do think that, as the years have gone on, the pressure to read 100+ books a year gets greater and greater and I think it does have to do with booktok and the culture of fast consumption on that app. But also, as a creator, I do feel the need to read as much and as widely as possible in order to gather as many book recommendations as possible and to keep my lists fresh and updated.
      Sorry if my response is all over the place! There’s really so much to be said and I think it’s hard to feel only one way about the way fast consumption of books have been normalized 😅

  • @PoppyMorreale
    @PoppyMorreale Месяц назад

    Did you like the seven year slip

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  Месяц назад +1

      I haven’t read it yet! Hoping to get to it before the end of the year 🤞

  • @sagekay
    @sagekay Месяц назад

    Yup yup yup

  • @chriswildfire
    @chriswildfire 16 дней назад

    Wow whose recommending books they didn’t read as acting like they did that’s so strange. I wonder if it’s anyone I follow on booktok. Does anyone know she’s talking about? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with dnfing books been doing that a lot lately my time is short to read books I’m not enjoying.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  16 дней назад

      @@chriswildfire DNF’ing is totally fine! I do it all the time lol I’m talking about two things: people literally recommending books they haven’t ever read they just have read the synopsis, and people recommending or reviewing books where they have admitted to skipping huge chunks of the books or only reading the dialogue. It’s unfortunately not one person doing it, so it’s kind of hard to do a call-out of like “this person is doing it” and then calling it a day. Unfortunately I see these things happen all the time on booktok. I think people who have read the books they’re talking about go more in depth on their thoughts and aren’t just presenting books like “i liked this one” and saying nothing else about it.

    • @alliewithbooks
      @alliewithbooks  16 дней назад

      @@chriswildfire so I think as long as you’re following people who have substantial, and complex thoughts about the books they read you shouldn’t be worried 😊

    • @chriswildfire
      @chriswildfire 16 дней назад

      @@alliewithbooks ok thanks that makes sense

  • @cfbg
    @cfbg Месяц назад

    I'm not on TikTok so

  • @thatxdamnxgirl7416
    @thatxdamnxgirl7416 Месяц назад +8

    I'm tired of getting recommended very shallow and poorly-written books. I have really stopped trusting many of these young readers on bootok who all seem to recommend the same 50 books/series over and over again.

  • @joemolina4351
    @joemolina4351 Месяц назад

    W vid