Everything related to the book, everything that smells of ink, everything that promotes reading, everything that the authors discuss and their words can be found in only one hashtag that has filled the whole world. tik tak. This is #BookTok, which now has over 110 billion views. Lists of the best books read, tips for building a complete library, recommendations for recently released books and authors: this is the content of one of the most popular destinations in the application.

This online community was launched on the platform in the spring of 2020 and has since grown, gaining more and more bookish friends, including Greek readers.

“Solitary activity turned into a presentist”

However, this is not the first time that social networks, which have otherwise been criticized for causing harm to mental health, “encourage” users to join groups and share what they read. Long before TikTok, there were Facebook bibliophile groups, YouTube videos, Twitter community communities, and Instagram photos. Indeed, judging by the attractiveness of these groups, it seems that the impact they have on young readers is great.

“Social networks do not just influence, they exist at the center of reader interest in recent years“, – says the content creator “K”. Giannis Sachanidis (reads something). And adds: “Book talk on social media has encouraged older people to share their reading and participate in book clubs more than ever before, while generating many new readers, especially at a younger age.”

As he states, with the help of social media, “reading has evolved from a — mostly — solitary activity of the past to a social, real, open activity of the 2020s.”

Mr. Sakhanidis’ somuchreading page began its journey on Instagram and Twitter even before #BookTok. and #Bookstagram. “The conversation about the book in Greece was once filled with elitist opinions and strict academicism, Bookstagram was in its infancy, online reading of books is the same,” he explains. In other words, there was no central hashtag linking the photos of the books. #instavivlio has filled this gap in Greek Instagram, which is constantly growing. He recommends books but is also open to suggestions from others. This is a continuous cycle. “And it’s a big deal after all a few years ago, so many voices talking about books did not exist as an ideabut also one of the most important signs that the conversation about reading has changed.”

Is the trend here to stay?

For Saint Athanasiadis, bookseller/co-owner of Librofilo & Co. and bloggers problem lies in the quality of books recommended through these groups.

“I know there are communities and writers who have been successful because of them. Children come to the bookstore and ask us for books by authors recommended by online communities. I see writers like the American Colleen Hoover, made famous by TikTok, she below average writer. I don’t know if this is temporary or will stay. I’m not sure. Bibliophilia is good, but what kind of bibliophilia are we talking about?” he says to K. And he adds that young people do not read at all. “This is the minority of people who read regardless of age. If the numbers seem large, it’s because there are social networks that make “noise”. The audience is more or less the same.” Also, as Mr. Athanasiadis explains, “People are more distracted by all these devices, platforms on the screen. Very short texts are also needed. So why should young people read? Even grown-ups don’t read now.”

Of course, there is no single rule for everyone. In an interview with “K”, professor of sociology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and supervisor of his research Organization for Collective Management of Speech Projects (OSDEL) Nikos Panagiotopoulos, notes that “readers are young people with high educational capital, whose families usually belong to the highest cultural and economic strata.”

80% of books read are on paper

More generally, according to an OSDEL survey conducted from January 2021 to February 2022, in terms of their reading behavior, Greeks are divided into those who do not read at all, those who read but not intensively, and intensive readers. The main reason most city dwellers don’t read books is lack of time, and those who don’t read at all don’t find reading attractive.

Of the books read, 80% were in print and 15% in electronic form (e-books were mostly read by young men), while only 3% preferred audio books. 65% intend to read mainly printed books in the coming year, while it is interesting that 25% of those surveyed expressed their intention to read an e-book.

It ranks first in readers’ preferences. Greek Literature (60%), then foreign literature (47%), history (40%) and detective fiction (39%). Preferences differ depending on the gender of the respondents. The reader’s decision is formed on the basis of selection criteria, which are in order: book topic, author, abstract, reviews, awards and recommendations from friends.