Reading and its Ever-Growing Popularity

Reading has been around for a long time, with authors dating back to the BCE era. The first known author was actually a woman named Enheduanna, who was a poet and a writer. Though reading has been around for centuries, recent years have boosted the popularity of the hobby by a lot.

While it has always been well loved, reading has been more and more romanticized by social media, specifically TikTok. Creators on TikTok share their favorite books and can help lesser-known authors become more famous. An example of this is the author Alex Aster who just released her book Lightlark this year and became a NYT bestseller. TikTok has also reintroduced the public to popular dystopian novels, like the Shatter Me series.

Reading is for everyone, and there is a perfect book out there for every single person. Whether you want to read a biography, or a fantasy novel, you can definitely find amazing recommendations on TikTok. There is even a hashtag called BookTok dedicated to book recommendations and ratings. There are many BookTok creators and their content has helped many readers discover new genres. Even authors have joined the app, like Victoria Aveyard and Natasha Preston.

Mandatory reading for school can make reading seem like a chore, but that’s not the same as reading for leisure. Reading can open up a whole new world at your fingertips. It can transport you into magical fairy tales or spine-chilling thrillers. Whether you choose to read electronic books, physical books, or audio books is up to you, but they are all methods to relax and destress. We all know that school can be a big stresser, so reading is a perfect way to calm down and have time to ourselves. Social media has allowed for the widespread love for reading, something that has been continued for centuries. It has encouraged people to read and even become authors. Like I said, there’s a perfect book for everyone and BookTok might be just the place where you'll find it.

Works Cited

“Losing Paradise.” YouTube, 29 October 2012, https://i1.wp.com/socialifestylemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/book-aesthetic-books-old-books-open-books-1387022.jpg?fit=620%2C414&ssl=1. Accessed 11 November 2022.

Pryke, Louise. “Hidden women of history: Enheduanna, princess, priestess and the world's first known author.” The Conversation, 12 February 2019, https://theconversation.com/hidden-women-of-history-enheduanna-princess-priestess-and-the-worlds-first-known-author-109185. Accessed 11 November 2022.