Books on BookTok: how can readers avoid getting stuck with genre oversaturation?
This week, creators reflected on whether the TikTok algorithm prioritises certain books and genres on the platform, resulting in oversaturation and homogenisation.
“TikTok only cares about engagement,” stated Nate (@nateblackbooks; 2,761 followers). “As TikTok wants to show you more of what you like, you can get stuck in a cycle of it recommending the same books over and over again.”
Suraka (@surakajanebooks; 18,000 followers) agrees there is a problem with the algorithm. Like Nate, she explained that “TikTok’s algorithm is designed to prioritise engagement, so it learns from the user by tracking what they are liking and interacting with. If you are engaging more with a particular genre, then TikTok will push more of that content you way. This is great when you first join and can help you discover creators that align with your tastes, however it does create an echo chamber in the long run and eventually starts to feel like “BookTok burnout.’”
Hannah (@hannah.s.books; 12,000 followers) “managed to create my own little bubble of mostly literary fiction” but has seen “a few people criticising the algorithm for showing the same books over and over”.
Evie (@evieschapters; 5,436 followers) finds “TikTok prioritises content featuring certain authors and genres”, adding: “Creators who focus on fantasy and/or romance and post about specific authors see more rapid growth in comparison to creators platforming authors in other genres.”
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Nate has experienced this on his own channel: “I’ve found that when I post content about niche books, views and engagement are incredibly low, pushing me to create less content and less popular books. Whenever I post about popular books, I get thousands of views. It creates an ecosystem where we are constantly sharing the same thoughts on the same books.”
It is a numbers game that creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Megan (@megschapters; 2,259 followers) explained: “If you consistently like, watch or comment on certain genres or creators, the algorithm naturally feeds you similar recommendations... if readers want fresh or diverse recommendations, they have to seek them out.”
To avoid “BookTok burnout”, creators must be intentional about the content they are interacting with, a sentiment Emily (@emilymiahreads; 92,100 followers) succinctly sums up: “You control your For You Page.” The “algorithm is based on what you as a user interact with,” added India (@indiareadsalot; 3,859 followers), whose For You Page showcases “different books, but that’s because I follow and interact with a vast range of people and tastes”.
The onus, then, is on the individual to seek out underrepresented stories and different genres that will not be naturally highlighted or uplifted by the app. “I will always try to engage with different creators and book recommendations and will perform a For You Page bi-monthly reset,” said Suraka.
“This allows for fresh content to be pushed on my For You Page and stops me getting trapped by the current ‘popular’ books.” Similarly, Megan spoke about the need to “actively” engage with different genres and creators with smaller followings. If you are “intentional about what you’re liking and engaging with”, said Nate, “you can get yourself out the loop. Sometimes you need to beat TikTok at its own algorithmic game”.
