#BookTok by the numbers

Lindsay Thomas's deep-dive into #BookTok paints a brighter picture of the books and literature community than mainstream critics might expect. To better understand the TikTok channel where "literary criticism – of a particular kind – is currently thriving," Thomas and a colleague analysed content pushed to the For You Page and "top" videos in a "#Booktok" search. Among her observations is that "the physical book, specifically the trade paperback, is the preferred format for reading" on the platform, and there are good reasons why content on a user's For You Page feels so right:

"... TikTok's emphasis on that middle range of popularity in which content is popular enough to have a good shot, statistically, of being liked, but not so popular that it risks feeling generic – speaks to a core aspect of user experience on the platform. Even when watching a popular video, you don't necessarily have the feeling of participating in mass culture, or in something broadly shared."

Full article: BookTok and the Rituals of Recommendation.