This article is all about getting past the reading aesthetic.
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Remember books…?
Yeah, me too!
If you find yourself going through life trying to fill the void with any and everything just to feel something. You might consider giving books a try.
I think that we as a society have become exceedingly comfortable with receiving empty content. The content leaves someone’s mouth and takes the Express lane straight to our ears. No filters required.
While this may lead to a more ‘authentic’ experience, it doesn’t help much in terms of mental effort. People tell you exactly what you want to know and each time, it becomes less and less satisfying.
People even binge videos of other people making recommendations of books that they never intend to read in the first place.
Books are much more transformative and demand your participation. This may be part of the magic.
Transcending the Reading Aesthetic
Do you know what’s more fun than looking like you read a lot of books?
Reading a lot of books!
Did Reading Need To Be An Aesthetic?
Nothing is safe from aestheticization while we are living in the same world as Tiktok.
When it comes to consuming content, we consume with our eyes first and all of our other senses follow suit. People gravitate towards content that is easily digestible and good for the eyes.
If you watch enough of anything, it starts to appear more reasonable.
Booktok is not an exception.
If you were to search ‘reading aesthetic’ on Pinterest, you would every rendition of an open book, a coffee mug with brown liquid in it, and a sweater. These photos all take on the grey caste that comes with the neutral filter.
As with any trend, there is an influx in activity and people who want to capitalize off of the popularity.
The Benefits
The reading aesthetic has certainly brought recreational reading back in style. The pandemic gave everyone the time back to do things that they claimed not to have.
2020 was the year of boredom alongside the year of creativity.
Getting people back into reading was a way to pass the time but to also escape the utter foolishness that was 2020.
The reading aesthetic gave people the excuse to wipe the dust off of their book collections and actually open the books.
Getting back into reading was a way for people to engage their minds.
Books became bland because of the close association they had with academia. In university, you had no input whatsoever regarding what you read and the majority of the content was nonfiction.
I can’t blame anyone who lost interest in reading because of school.
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What’s The Difference Between Commentary and Reading the Book Yourself?
Videos can be aesthetic in the same manner that reading can be.
Booktok consists of people giving book reviews and recommendations for new books to try. Some people are content watching other people make recommendations and that is it.
There is a larger community that actually buys the books that they are recommended to read themselves.
Now, why would someone spend money on a book and then read it when they could just watch someone summarize the book for free?
The most obvious answer to me would be the experience. The reading aesthetic does not stop at compelling visuals, but it encourages action.
Communities are built by people with similar interests and it has become easier for authors to harness these communities with social media.
When you read a book, you can change your environment. If the book is compelling enough, you can become engulfed in the story and go to a different world mentally.
Books are descriptive, but your mind still fills in the gaps that the author leaves open.
Your mind is much more engaged in envisioning the world that is described through written words than it can ever be through a video.
You can also create a safe place in your mind to escape when the real world gets to be a little too real.
Relatability in Content
One thing that makes books or storylines especially attractive to modern audiences is relatability. We find comfort in people who we could envision ourselves interacting in our everyday lives.
The reading aesthetic and booktok have introduced many people to stories with relatable storylines and characters.
You read about fictional characters having similar problems to you and analyze their approach.
Maybe you’ve found a story that elicits emotion from you. This can be more of a rare occurrence nowadays with media that falls on the extreme ends of the spectrum.
If books are the key to you feeling healthy emotions and spark your curiosity, then you are on the right track.
The reading aesthetic really can give people a sense of peace and calm surrounding books.
Let’s Keep the Party Going!
Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest so that we can share the knowledge!
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