[Cheongchun Report] "My Life Book Is..."... How Generation Z Enjoys Reading

'BookTok' Challenge Trending Among Overseas Gen Z
"Increasing Influence of 'BookTok' on Publishing Industry and Youth"

With the arrival of autumn, the "season of reading," some young people are sharing their reading experiences through social networking services (SNS). Young adults are not just reading books passively; they actively engage in reading by posting reviews on SNS and exchanging opinions with others. This trend in reading is changing compared to the past, as seen in the popularity of the '#BookTok' challenge abroad.

20s and 30s Prefer E-books... "Borrow Paper Books from Libraries"

Citizens visiting Kyobo Bookstore in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are reading books.

Recently, there has been a growing preference for e-books over paper books, especially among young people. According to the National Statistical Portal of Statistics Korea, as of the second quarter, households with heads aged 30 or younger spent an average of 9,033 KRW per month on books, a sharp 34.1% decrease compared to the previous year. This is the first time since statistics began in 2006 that the average monthly book expenditure for households in their 20s and 30s has fallen below 10,000 KRW.

This appears to reflect the characteristics of the 20s and 30s generation who prefer e-books. According to household trend statistics, "book expenditure" only includes costs for purchasing paper books. E-book consumption is counted under "cultural service expenditure" along with game content and others. In other words, as young people obtain necessary information through e-books or YouTube videos rather than printed materials, book expenditure has gradually decreased.

In fact, according to the "2021 National Reading Survey" released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the reading rate of paper books decreased compared to the previous year, while the reading rate of e-books showed an increasing trend. Especially, the e-book reading rate among people in their 20s rose significantly from 34.7% in 2017 and 39% in 2019 to 50.5% in 2021.

Office worker Lee (27) said, "Since the implementation of the fixed book price system, buying paper books has become burdensome." He added, "With rising prices, I try to save money, so I hesitate to purchase paper books." He further mentioned, "I usually read books through the local electronic library."

Book-Related Hashtags Appear One After Another on SNS... 'Bookstagram' Posts Total 5.66 Million

[Image source=Pixabay]

As paper books become digitized, young people's reading culture is actively changing around SNS. Young adults do not just look at or read books. They underline favorite passages and post them on SNS, leaving their impressions about the books. Some young people even post photos of themselves attending book talks.

On platforms like Instagram, posts tagged with hashtags such as 'Chaekdeokhu (book enthusiast)', 'Bookstagram (book + Instagram)', 'Bookmaek (book + beer)', 'Booktuber (book + YouTuber)', and 'Bookstore Tour' continue to appear. In particular, posts related to 'Bookstagram' number over approximately 5.66 million. Netizens share photos of flipping through books or create and share book recommendation lists.

'BookTok' Challenge Changing the Publishing Industry Landscape

Video platform TikTok posts related to book talks. [Image source=TikTok]

This phenomenon is even more active abroad. In foreign countries, people share their favorite authors and books through the '#BookTok' challenge, which has a significant impact on the publishing industry. The 'BookTok' challenge takes place on the video platform TikTok, where participants share small daily moments related to books, such as introducing a book in one or two sentences or posting videos of themselves reading.

Especially for Generation Z (born mid-1990s to early 2000s), the generation that uses TikTok the most, the influence of the BookTok challenge is even greater. Australian research and analysis media 'The Conversation' stated, "The influence of 'BookTok' on the publishing industry and young people is enormous," adding, "Books popular on 'BookTok' are more frequently selected by publishers and displayed more prominently in bookstores." They further evaluated, "'BookTok' is a powerful tool that sparks interest in books."

In fact, according to a survey conducted last year by the Publishers Association (PA) in the UK targeting 2,001 people aged 16 to 25, 48% of respondents said they had visited bookstores to purchase books they saw on BookTok.

In other words, reading books and sharing opinions with others on SNS has become a kind of "play culture" for young people, which appears to have influenced actual reading rates.

Australia's daily newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald reported in July last month in an article titled "How TikTok Sparked a Reading Revolution Among Gen Z" that "Four years ago, the 'BookTok' hashtag had fewer than 1,000 views. However, in 2023, it has recorded over 107.4 billion views worldwide."