Technology has become so interwoven with our lives that it’s hard to imagine a world without it. Reading a book may be seen as a peaceful ‘break from your phone’ but ironically, the relationship between literature and technology has never been stronger. Because, although your book is (usually) not a screen, you cannot ignore the technological factors that are changing what you read, how you read and even where you read.
This relationship is not necessarily a bad thing. If it wasn’t for modern day technology, I wouldn’t have come across a lot of poems that I now consider some of my favourites. Instagram and TikTok are great for lesser-known poets to share their work with the world, and form audiences that relate to their specific experiences and emotions. Moreover, book recommendations are rife on these social media platforms, often in the form of ‘if you liked this book, you’ll like this one too’, allowing readers to explore a world of literature more catered to their preferences.
There is also greater accessibility these days, whether that be reading through a kindle, e-book apps or even the fact that a book can now be delivered to your door less than 24 hours after purchase. Literature is made available to consume wherever you are, since kindles take up far less space than books, and with almost constant access to our phones, e-books and audiobooks are never far away.
Goodreads is one of the most popular literature related apps, allowing users to make ‘bookshelves’ for what they want to read, have read and are reading. You can share and read reviews, allowing you to make an informed choice and decision about a book. Whilst I’ve found this to motivate me to read more (thanks yearly reading challenge!), I now can’t finish a book without feeling I’ve simply ticked something off. One more down, X amount to go. This isn’t an objectively negative thing but it does slightly rob the fulfilment of reading for reading’s sake. Books run the risk of becoming something to quickly consume, check off, and leave. Furthermore, I can’t help but be influenced by the number of stars a book has been rated when it comes to making my own judgement. Before Goodreads, I was generally less aware of public consensus over random books, but now, I can know from the moment I log it as a new read. This can be seen positively; I can avoid the books seen as substandard… but maybe that should’ve been my judgement to make alone? Goodreads, TikTok and Instagram make the opinions of others readily available at all times. But often this causes something to gain masses of hype before inevitably crashing and becoming ‘overrated.’ Books are not spared from this.
Technology has undeniably changed the way that we read literature, giving us greater access to certain works in addition to infinite opinions (whether that is positive or negative is up to you). I can’t help but be intrigued by what’s to come.
“Booktok section, Barnes & Nobel, The Grove, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA” by gruntzooki is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0