Have you bought the newest summer romance release? Did you watch the latest review of that popular book on TikTok?
In an era where the world is at our fingertips, glowing through an algorithm inside of a metal box in our hands, we are consuming loads of media daily. With so much thrown at us, reading comprehension is being replaced by mindlessness. Influencers in the reading world, in online forums such as BookTok, are reworking the ways readers read.
According to Oxford Owl, a support website published by Oxford University Press that provides support for teaching children how to read, reading comprehension is the “ability to read text, process it, and understand its meaning.”
To truly comprehend what we’re reading, we have to engage with the text, analyze different tones and voices, and examine deeper meaning.
Seeing a video online of “how many romance novels I can read in a week,” is an example of reading consumption. Merely reading the words, skipping over parts that seem boring, and speeding through a book eliminates comprehension.
What about the characters? Did you like them? (You don’t remember their names?). Who was the antagonist, and what made them that way? (The boyfriend; he was annoying.) This kind of reading for consumption is passive and surface-level, making reading incredibly boring. The beauty of reading comes from the lessons we learn through the plot and characters. What is the use of reading a book if we can’t remember it?
Over-consuming books is like grabbing some junk food when you’re in a rush, when you really should be comprehending books, sitting down, savoring a home-cooked meal. In many ways, this consumption mirrors fast fashion; books marketed for immediate intake, then simply tossed to the side when interest is lost.
Unfortunately, because of the fast-paced, trendy, over-consumption of books, the publishing industry has adapted to this consumerism. In a way, this rewards readers to continue on in this cycle, leaving behind books that are more complex or challenging to understand.
BookTok, TikTok’s reading community, is a prime example of this cycle. While BookTok has been a positive influence for many people, as a way of turning people back to reading, the nature of BookTok prioritizes consumption over comprehension. Influencers’ quick, 30-second reviews harbor impulsive reactions that don’t leave any room for comprehension. Saying things such as “this book ruined me” or “this is a book that everyone is reading” pushes away nuanced conversations about character development, cultural impact, and the meaning of the work as a whole. Books are being used as tools to draw a crowd to “ooo” and “ah,” rather than to truly grasp the knowledge that books offer.
Overall, consumption and comprehension are the differences between reading performatively versus reading practically. While people are reading more, it does not mean they are reading effectively.
It is important for readers to make the conscious decision to read books in depth so they can nourish the mind, rather than treat them as fleeting moments of entertainment, which ends up starving it. Otherwise, we weaken our engagement in meaningful conversations and dull our critical thinking skills. Losing the richness of literacy is a cost far too great. It is vital to seek meaning rather than crave momentum.
In the end, popularity will never replace the knowledge that books provide.