{"id":104811,"date":"2024-12-06T10:42:25","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T16:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=104811"},"modified":"2025-02-25T10:36:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:36:37","slug":"are-books-back-ask-gen-z","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/are-books-back-ask-gen-z\/","title":{"rendered":"Are books back? Ask Gen Z."},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sylvie Kirsch
\n<\/strong>Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOn weekend mornings, I get up, make coffee, sit on my couch and read a paper book 99% of the time. And that\u2019s a routine that\u2019s so peaceful and amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the sentiment of a retired octogenarian but of 23-year-old Hayley Sanders, owner of the BookTok account @hayleyreadsalot<\/a>. She\u2019s part of a wave of Gen Z \u2014 the first generation raised on the internet \u2014 who value reading physical books and love posting about them online.<\/p>\n

Since the advent of social media, flagship bookstores like Barnes and Noble have shuttered en masse<\/a>, and pre-smartphone adults blame it on Gen Z\u2019s refusal to disconnect from the internet. One New York Times article<\/a> quipped, \u201cThey\u2019re talking differently, texting more, wearing the wrong clothes, still texting. Do they ever put down their phones?\u201d<\/p>\n

But times, they are a-changin\u2019. When COVID-19 shut down the world, Gen Z turned to reading as one of the only available offline activities. Literature suddenly became their topic du jour, with robust conversations surrounding trendy books such as Donna Tart\u2019s \u201cThe Secret History\u201d and Sarah J. Maas\u2019s \u201cA Court of Thorns and Roses\u201d series. Unable to talk about books in person, BookTok \u2014 a subcommunity on TikTok \u2014 emerged as the go-to digital perch for those looking for recommendations, reviews and discussions. Today, videos with the hashtag \u201cBookTok\u201d have amassed more than 250 billion views<\/a>.<\/p>\n

BookToker Avery Silverberg, 27, created her account @a.very.fast.reader<\/a> during the pandemic. She wasn\u2019t looking for fame like the typical influencer but instead longed for a community surrounding her beloved hobby.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so craving that connection between book lovers,\u201d Silverberg said. \u201cLike, I was dying for the ability to walk into an office and have all these people who love books like I do. It was because of that feeling I was lacking that I turned to online spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

BookTok also has become a gateway drug for those who haven\u2019t experienced a page-turner in years. While there\u2019s some debate over the merit of BookToker recommendations, it\u2019s undoubtedly created an online movement of reading for enjoyment rather than school. As 23-year-old Lisbeth Rubin, owner of Bookstagram account @libraryoflisbeth<\/a>, put it, \u201cThis is amazing for the younger generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silverberg agrees. \u201cThe ability for BookTok to turn stereotypically nonreaders into readers is the best part of social media,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While BookTok has fueled this new surge of ardent readers, social media\u2019s influence on the reading ecosystem does not stop there. In a 2022 study by UK-based professional organization Publishers Association that researched how social media is transforming Gen Z reading habits<\/a>, 59% of participants credited BookTok with helping them discover a passion for reading, and 55% seek out reading recommendations on the subcommunity. Books that have gone viral \u2013 those that are \u201ctrendy\u201d to read and discuss \u2013 now dominate the shelves of libraries and bookstores. For example, Rebecca Yarros\u2019s dragon-romantasy novel \u201cFourth Wing,\u201d which blew up on BookTok in 2023, has 3,022 holds on the 657 copies circulating in Chicago\u2019s public library system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen something goes viral on TikTok, we have an uptick of people coming in and asking for that material,\u201d West Loop library branch manager Kendall Kidder-Goshorn said. She estimates online trends determine 30%\u201340% of her book orders and prioritizes spending additional funds on those books.<\/p>\n

BookTok encourages new and old literature lovers to leave the house and pick up their next story. The subcommunity\u2019s positive influence on book sales is a key component in the rise of new brick-and-mortar bookstores. For example, Barnes and Noble\u2019s 2024 comeback is astounding: the recently-flailing retailer has opened over 55 locations in the last 11 months<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It’s easy for book lovers to get lost in the labyrinth of titles that dominate two floors of Barnes and Noble’s Wicker Park location. (Sylvie Kirsch\/MEDILL)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, why do members of Gen Z, often labeled as internet-addicted zombies who slobber over iPhones while crossing five-way intersections, spend their time, money and effort going to libraries and bookstores when digital books are instantly accessible and often cheaper? The underlying assumption is Gen Z wants to live chronically online, floating in a cloud of Brat memes and ditzy lip-sync videos. But don\u2019t conflate their comfort of blending physical and digital realms with preference.<\/p>\n

A 2022 study by Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda, professors and publishing researchers at Portland State University, reported Millennials and Gen Z read and bought, on average, twice as many print books per month than any other type of book form<\/a>. This is proof that the demographic is making an active effort to disconnect.<\/p>\n

\u201cConstantly checking the phone is just a part of being alive in 2024 and 23 years old,\u201d Rubin said. But \u201cwhen I have a book in my hand, I\u2019m completely away from the phone experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

These communities also are translating offline into real-life connections. When Silverberg moved across the country last year, she said, \u201cI made all my current real-life friends here in New York on Instagram because of our shared interests in books that instantly connected us.\u201d<\/p>\n

BookTok\u2019s influence cannot be understated. It\u2019s one of those rare, healthy internet enclaves that promotes edifying hobbies instead of toxic habits. It invites virgin readers to join veteran book lovers in conversation about today\u2019s trendiest works, creating a community far beyond the screen. So next time you find yourself stuck in a deep rut, put down your phone, pick up a book and join in on the conversation.<\/p>\n

Sylvie Kirsch is a recent graduate of Medill\u2019s magazine specialization. You can find her on\u00a0LinkedIn.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sylvie Kirsch Medill Reports \u201cOn weekend mornings, I get up, make coffee, sit on my couch and read a paper book 99% of the time. And that\u2019s a routine that\u2019s so peaceful and amazing.\u201d This isn\u2019t the sentiment of a retired octogenarian but of 23-year-old Hayley Sanders, owner of the BookTok account @hayleyreadsalot. She\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":930,"featured_media":104812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,5061,5438],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-featured","category-summer-2024"],"yoast_head":"\nAre books back? 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