Thoughts on the State of the Book World: BookTok, Being a Hater, Performative Reading, and AI in Art
- 7 hours ago
- 7 min read
I'm back with another Substack style post. While my last 'thoughts on the state of the book world' post felt like the ideas were ones many people have mulled over, for this one, I'm getting a bit more niche.
I have a lot of thoughts about everything all the time (for better or for worse), and I often come across fascinating ideas via Substack and YouTube, especially when it comes to reading. My favorite writer on Substack has been Derek Thompson, and I've reference his articles on my blog before. I've also mentioned Man Carrying Thing, and he often responds to popular posts floating around on Twitter and Reddit (which is nice because I don't use those platforms), and provides a comedic yet thoughtful take on them. I've linked several articles, podcasts and videos throughout this post that have made me think differently or more in-depth, and I hope you find them as fascinating or thought-provoking as I have.
So, here are just a few of the topics that I have ruminated over in the last few months.
BookTok and the importance of nuance
I was inspired by this video titled 'BookTok, brainrot, and why it's okay to be a hater.' I highly recommend watching if this topic interests you at all.
I've been struggling with the rise of BookTok and how it's changed so much in publishing and the book space. On one hand, I love that more people are discovering the joy of reading --- that was the whole point to this book blog when I first started over six years ago. BookTok has also poured more money into the publishing industry, which helps smaller authors get traditionally published. However, there are consequences of BookTok that have left me conflicted, especially because I never want to discourage anyone from reading, no matter the genre.
I am a big fan of long form content because I feel that most ideas need more time and space to be fleshed out, and long form platforms give room to consider many sides of an issue aka nuance. I've been grilled for using that word lately, which is funny to me considering how much of the internet lacks nuance. I believe having an opinion is wonderful and important (I have an opinion about almost everything), but over the years, I've learned the value of listening and taking in feedback in order to understand not only my own opinions better, but the world.
Don't get me wrong, long form creators can absolutely lack nuance, but on TikTok, it's notorious. It is difficult to have nuance on a platform that has a time limit, and where its users want to be engaged within seconds. Hence, many hot takes, recommendations with no explanation, and little time for consideration on why someone liked or disliked a book. I've found that many recommendations I get (via secondhand Instagram posting because I don't have TikTok), have let me down immensely. There just isn't enough room for in-depth critiques, which ultimately are more helpful in me deciding what it is about a book that might engage me.
It can be easy to get caught up in the online hype, but over the last few years, I've recognized that I would rather spend my time reading long reviews and exploring more in-depth content in order to find better quality recommendations.
On being a hater
Although using the word hater is hyperbolic in this discussion, it feels cheeky and comes from the aforementioned YouTube video. I'm also piggy-backing on a video by another creator I love called 'Book reviews are gaslighting us.' Blake examines how book reviews, even ones published by prestigious outlets, have become more about cheerleading instead of commentary.
The worst part is, I have fallen victim to this in the last few years. When I first started this blog at the beginning of 2020, I was posting a lot, including monthly roundups of all the books I had read. I gave ratings out of 10, and would critique popular books and admit I didn't enjoy them. At one point, I stopped doing that. Monthly roundups felt like a lot of work for books I didn't like, and I felt it would be more helpful to just highlight books I loved instead of ones I didn't.
But I have realized that negative reviews are helpful, and they balance the book content pipeline. We should be calling out bad writing, shallow views, overused tropes and especially harmful takes. There should be thorough explanation as to why someone disliked a book, but avoiding those critiques doesn't help anyone, especially the actual author. We all need constructive criticism to grow and develop, especially in writing. And one bad review won't tank an author's career, contrary to how it may feel in the moment.
This also applies to the strange phenomenon that happens when someone criticizes content that someone else loves. People are allowed to not like something, and they're certainly allowed to critique it negatively if they are engaging with legitimate qualms. Shutting someone down and saying 'let me love my thing' has made these kind of nuanced critiques even more difficult to discuss, when this is exactly the kind of discourse we all should be having. I don't want to blindly love something or support someone because doing so erodes the ability to discern, comprehend, challenge, and hold people accountable. And in today's world, those skills are more important than ever.
Although it feels like there's a lot of negativity online, there are effective ways at critiquing work that isn't just 'being a hater,' and it's something I want to start practicing again on this blog.
Performative reading
I want to examine performative reading with grace because again, I never want to discourage people from picking up a book, no matter the motivation behind it.
Let's be real, so much of reading can stem from the desire to be perceived in a certain way. Whether that's intelligent, productive, hip, mysterious, deep, romantic, worldly. I remember reading Anna Karenina my junior year of high school for fun because I was desperate for people to take me seriously. I, like everyone else, am not immune to performative reading. I don't think there's something inherently wrong with it if it gets someone to read a book, but I do feel it cannot be the only reason someone continues.
This term has often been used with online discourse around men in particular --- of men reading for how it looks specifically to women. There's an popular Instagram page called hot men reading, and women are drooling over these strangers. Reading has typically signified certain characteristics --- maybe intelligence, empathy, worldliness, depth --- but that performance is now being discussed as a way for men to get women to date them. What's funny is that a man who loves books used to be something I would've required in a partner, but I've learned that just because a man reads, does not mean he inherently has those qualities.
However, the quiet optimist in me hopes that even if someone begins reading with the goal to be perceived in a certain way, the journey through challenging books will ultimately transform that motivation into the magic of curiosity. Even more ironic, that change in motivation will often usher in some of the traits that people wanted to have in the first place --- empathy being one that I always point to when talking about men reading more fiction. Intent matters, and it's the hunger to want to know more, to understand, to feel uncomfortable, to go deep, that often changes a person.
AI in art and the purpose of reading
I see a lot of discussion, both online and in my everyday life, about AI taking jobs, fueling the creation of data centers, changing technology, and its effects on the economy. All of which are important but I want to take some time to look at AI in art and the creation of books, perhaps a less pressing and dire consequence of AI.
Although I am not a big fan of AI, I can concede that it has potential to positively impact certain industries. One way in particular is in science and medicine --- my favorite podcast, Radiolab, did a story on a company using AI to match and treat diseases with possible medications that no one has thought to use before. Great use for AI, in my opinion.
Artificial intelligence has been bleeding into the creation of art since it began. Some people are more comfortable with it than others. I struggle to accept any use for AI in art because if we must lean into AI, shouldn't it be to tackle problems and leave humans more time to do and create things we love? And to those who say it's inevitable or there is nothing wrong with consuming art books, movies, and music created by AI, I want to push back.
There seems to be a big wave of content consumption based around distraction and escapism recently. If that's the case, then I can see why someone wouldn't care if AI created the art they are consuming. But I don't think we should accept this. We should not shrug our shoulders at either the passive creation or absorption of art.
Art has always been the opposite of passive, of nonchalant. It's about having such an intense emotion or idea or feeling that it must be expressed and shared. It's about witnessing and empathizing with others’ art and experiences so much that it evokes a sense of wonder and magic that transcend space and time. Art, and specifically for me reading, is about feeling a kinship with another human no matter the century, gender, or nationality. It's about connection with ourselves and others, and human-created art is always unique because it utilizes individual experiences and interpretations. I want to feel understood, to understand others, to feel less alone. That has always been the purpose of art and reading for me. AI is not human, it does not experience emotion or life. It cannot feel or share in grief, pain, desire, joy, wonder. It will never make someone feel less alone.
AI may be inevitable but the way we use it does not have to be. We can be critical of it, apply it to areas where it can do more good than harm, and also work to protect the environment and human expression and dignity. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to move forward with AI in a responsible, discerning way.
If you have any thoughts or critiques, I would love to hear them. Feel free to shoot me an email at brianasbookshelf@gmail.com. And make sure to subscribe to get notified every time I publish a new blog post.
Happy reading, y'all.