Combatting decline in reading: 'Check BookTok on a regular basis.'

Among students too, poor reading skills are a growing problem, fears Dera. “Even at the Faculty of Arts, some students never unpack their textbooks: they prefer to get information from summaries and lectures. We’re caught in a consumption society in which even lecture notes can be sold and purchased. A growing number of young people only read when strictly necessary, and this is not without its dangers. After all, reading skills are one of the greatest predictors of social success. Plus, literacy is crucial for a healthy democracy. Certainly academics must be able to reflect critically on the information they absorb, and understand different perspectives on an issue.”

BookTok helps

But there is reason for hope. Booksellers are seeing a growing number of young readers in their shops these past months, a development for which they are indebted to BookTok and InstaBook: interest areas on social media where young people share book tips with one another. Dera follows these developments closely. “I check the BookTok videos on a regular basis. They can teach literary scholars like myself a lot about young people's reading behaviour. The beauty of it is that these are bottom-up initiatives: young people motivate each other to read, without interference from parents or teachers.”

The literary scholar recently conducted a small-scale study with his students on the effect of BookTok among 142 pupils at a school in the Achterhoek. The study showed that videos by popular 'BookTokkers' have a significant effect on the reading motivation of some pupils, the so-called 'book doubters'. Dera: “At one end of the spectrum, you have the book worms, who read enough and don't need any extra motivation. At the other end, you have book avoiders, who really dislike reading. They’re not going to be convinced by a few BookTok videos; they require a personal approach. But there is also a large group in the middle. Previous research by Cedric Stalpers has shown that approximately 40% of all young people are book doubters. Doubters are not by definition against reading; they just prefer to spend their time doing other things. Apparently, this group can be influenced by BookTok to become enthusiastic and start to read more.”

Bookcases on campus

At the university too, lecturers could devote more time to emphasising the importance of reading, says the researcher. “We often blame secondary schools for the decline in language skills, but if we believe that students should read and write better, we must also stimulate a culture of reading here. For example by offering a literate environment as a university: lecturers should communicate the importance of reading, also at the economics or medicine department, and books should be available and visible. After all, what is a university library with no, or hardly any, visible books? You could even make it a condition for study associations getting funding that they also offer a reading club.” Until such time, Dera is calling on students, lecturers, and staff members to at least share their book tips on social media.

Students and staff will soon share their favorite books via #RadboudReads on @radboud_uni Instagram and TikTok. Do you also want to recommend a book? Let us know via communicatie [at] ru.nl (communicatie[at]ru[dot]nl) and you might be our next ‘bookfluencer’!