El fenómeno booktok y la lectura en pandemia: jóvenes, pantallas, libros y editoriales

Abstract

In this article, we aim to describe and analyze how young readers — and, in particular, young female readers — are using TikTok to review books and share their literary experiences with their followers. We consider reading as a sociocultural and historical practice that changes along with the times. In this context, we look at the rising link between books and screens. In regard to our methodological approach, we carried out a qualitative and site-specific investigation, conducting in-depth and biographically-oriented interviews. With this as our foundation, we then analyzed how the use of digital technologies is changing among readers. In particular, we looked at the BookTok phenomenon in Argentina during the pandemic lockdown. We conclude that BookTokers have doubled down on trends that were already rising among young readers using digital technologies. These trends are transforming both the environments these readers live in (educational or professional contexts as well as their personal relationships with other readers) and the publishing industry as a whole.