#BookTok is one of the most used hashtags on the social media platform TikTok, with book lovers using it to share and review books they are consuming, sometimes to millions of viewers.
In this podcast, South West Londoner looks into the rise of #BookTok and speaks to a BookTok influencer from London.
Recently overtaking Google as the most visited website in 2021, TikTok has taken the internet and the world by storm.
The app, which allows users to upload short videos, has already had a massive influence on music, fashion and culture since it was launched in 2017 which only looks set to grow.
A slightly more surprising phenomenon to come out of TikTok is the huge influence it has had on users’ reading habits.
The hashtag #BookTok has over 34.5 billion views after it exploded during the pandemic.
It features creators showing and describing their favourite books to viewers, and has helped see the meteoric rise of books like The Song of Achilles and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Host Ryan Hogg is joined by fellow journalists Elena Salvoni, Yasmin Choudhury and Rachel Muir to discuss what BookTok actually means, how it is influencing readers’ book choices and what the trend might mean for publishers.
Yasmin will also speak to Nina Athill, a 22-year-old BookTok influencer from Walthamstow whose account @ninasbookshelf has over 31.2k followers on the app.
They discuss how Nina got into BookTok influencing, how her account made it big in the States and what she thinks the future of BookTok will be.
Music credit: Purple Planet
