BookTok, Lina Favlo BookTok, Alexandra Gouvis……………………………………………………………………50

References

Himanshu, Kaur, A., Kaur, A., & Singla, G. (2020). Rising dysmorphia among adolescents : A cause for concern. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 9(2), 567–570. https:// doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_738_19 Mayo Clinic. (2022). Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/ diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938

BookTok

Lina Favlo

In today" s society, the adolescent world is most poignant online, since they spend most of

theirsparetimestaringat ascreenforentertainment.Covid-19delayed thereleaseofvisualcontent for television, film, music, and streaming platforms. This became a problem for the entertainment industry since people were consuming content quicker than new content could be produced and released. The Coronavirus pandemic created the possibility for adolescence to find another form of entertainment that could be taken offline. As aresult, BookTok, a subcultureof TikTok, became a place where youth were able to share their passion for reading or give opinions on literature with others. This was occurring at a time when gathering with others was impossible. BookTok became the unofficial, universal book club during the pandemic in 2020 and a space where adolescents could experience stories at the same time as each other. Users are able to share reviews and opinions on the same book, find recommendations for other titles, and discover other users who share an interest in the same genre or literary trope. BookTok" s influence has expanded from the

online platform into bookstores (such as Indigo) with sections of their websites dedicated to popular books found in TikTok" s subculture. This also extends to the physical stores, where there

are large tables lined with copies of the same books TikTok users see online. The creation of this corner of the online universe does not only promote going offline, but it encourages adolescents to feed their minds with the book content and get creative with the way they present their opinions online. Before the pandemic, reading might have been considered necessary or boring because it was associated with mandatory readings assigned by teachers in school. Reading during the pandemic got youth spending time away from their screens — a tool used in social media that can and does affect adolescents "mental health. BookTok not only gives

youth agency in choosing what they want to read, but it allows them to feel included and part of

a community. By creating a space online for a book club, BookTok users have not only modernized the idea of a book club (by taking it online) but have eliminated the boundaries of who can participate. The experience of discovering a new book is shared between thousands of people instead of the few in the surrounding area who may have an interest in reading. Even if someone from the same geographical area disliked the book, BookTok made it possible for young people to find someone online who shared their love of the book or that type of literature. References

Falvo, E. [@emmmerrrss]. (2022, March 30). my dream guy- #fyp #aaronwarner #shatterme [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@emmmerrrss/video/7081022929508797701?is_from_webapp=v1&ite m_id=7081022929508797701 - - - - - - - (2022, February 28). saved my favourites for last #booktok [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@emmmerrrss/video/7069887726010600709?is_from_webapp=v1&ite m_id=7069887726010600709 - - - - - - - (2022, March 22). Reply to @milanakb2007 francis was prob my fav #thesecrethistory #donnatartt [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@emmmerrrss/video/7078041287819005189?is_from_webapp=v1&ite m_id=7078041287819005189 Jerasa, & Boffone, T. (2021). BookTok 101: TikTok, Digital Literacies, and Out‐of‐School Reading Practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 65(3), 219–226. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1199

BookTok

Alexandra Gouvis

My selected keyword is an amalgamation of the separate words ‘Book’ and ‘TikTok’ (as in the digital social video platform). It represents a community of people who love to read and share creative content about books on the TikTok platform, resting on the laurels of the early BookTube (YouTube centric) and scattered BookStagram (Instagram centric) communities. Reading is very much a solitary hobby, and without existing reading groups or friendships it can be very difficult to find others who share this interest. TikTok is the current ‘go-to’ platform for adolescents today, with a huge boom during and following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. For youth who like to read this community of readers gives them access to peers with shared interests, new ways of socialization via this shared interest (ie. buddy reads (multiple people reading the same book on a timeline), book trading (mailing each other favoured books), and annotation reads (partners or each person in a group each begin with a book that they annotate while reading, then mail to the next person to also read and annotate, sharing notes and findings in the margins) to name a few), and even new ways to express multimodal creative skills such as filming, editing, and writing. Another facet of BookTok is how it has made authorship, business dealings surrounding books, and the publication process as a whole more transparent both for young people to become more critical of the books they read, but also aiding those who aspire to write themselves. It is giving adolescents a voice to speak up and speak out about themselves and issues important to them - all centred around books! For example: creating a list of recommendations for graphic novels with LGBTQ+ representation (eg. The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag), calling out companies with shady business dealings (eg. Bookish Box), or even promoting a local bookstore or event (eg. Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto). BookTok gives adolescents a voice and a community, two things that can and will have a great positive impact on their well-being, with the practical skills acquired in utilizing the TikTok platform assisting in physical and mental development. Two Sources:

Flood, A. (2021, June 25). The Rise of BookTok: Meet the Teen Influences Pushing Books Up the Charts. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jun/25/the-rise-of-booktokmeet-the-teen-influencers-pushing-books-up-the-charts Jerasa, & Boffone, T. (2021). BookTok 101: TikTok, Digital Literacies, and Out-of-School Reading Practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 65(3), 219–226. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/jaal.1199 Additional Material if Interested:

The instagram page for @booktalkevent A reader-generated virtual convention that originated on TikTok by a group of people who met through the app. TikTok users: @acourtofkayla, @latearareads, and @tesschb Popular young creators with huge followings.