Over the past year, a viral community has been created on TikTok, a popular social media platform among teenagers and adults. Known as #BookTok, the trend was created to promote books that readers on TikTok believe deserve more credit and recognition. The phenomenon has gained the attention of avid readers, authors and even those who did not enjoy reading prior to seeing the TikTok videos.

#BookTok is an online community on TikTok where readers and authors discuss different books, genres, characters and authors. Videos posted under #BookTok allows content creators to get their messages across many viewers through creative 15-second to 60-second videos.

“The concept is great, especially for kids who never really had that sense of community or friends that shared the same interests with them,” Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School freshman Kaitlyn Larson said.

The popularity of #BookTok influenced TikTok users to take up reading and change their perspective on the hobby. Specifically with young adults who use the social media platform, reading has become a trend and a favored activity.

“As we grew up, society gave us the idea that people who read were either nerdy or weird,” Larson said. “Now that #BookTok has gone viral and gotten more popular, people are noticing it and thinking ‘Hey, maybe I should try reading.’”

The online book platform is an ideal location for finding favored and newly discovered books of literary enthusiasts all over the world. TikTok’s algorithm assists in providing #BookTok videos based on viewers’ likes and interests. Devoted readers are able to share their love for books and familiarize other readers with their recommendations.

Examples of videos under the hashtag are “Books that made me forget I was reading” and “Books I’d sell my soul to read for the first time again.”

“BookTok introduced me to my love of reading and got me into my new favorite hobby,” sophomore Abigail Melamed said. “Reading has also helped me with my language arts as I am now able to read more fluently and enjoy it more, all thanks to BookTok.”

Melamed expanded on how the community motivated her to read more and got her interested in an array of different genres.

“I’ve seen and read so many books from the suggestions, such as books ranging from sci-fi and romance, to mystery and horror,” Melamed said.

Authors that are noticeably mentioned in every recommendation video are: Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover and Taylor Jenkins Reid. Hoover’s book, “It Ends With Us,” is a New York Times Bestseller and is massively popular on #BookTok alongside her other bestsellers “Ugly Love” and “Regretting You.”

The concept of “BookTok” would not have survived as successfully on different social media platforms. With TikTok, users are able to make and customize videos that help viewers see a specific book from another’s perspective. The personalized “ForYou” page on the app also allows for videos under #BookTok to circulate towards new audiences.

“Since TikTok is based on videos, it’s easy to show what the book is like and display the plot of the book in a way that is visually pleasing,” sophomore Sabrina Sutcliffe said. “I love videos that show the aesthetic of a book.”

Through #BookTok, new books, authors and readers have risen to create a community for all the bookworms around the world. Moreover, the social phenomenon has even converted non-readers into readers.