.png)
I have always considered myself to be an avid reader, picking up books of all genres that
pique my interest. Growing up, my mom was constantly reading, and I suppose that her
insatiable desire for literature was infectious. Reading has always kept me company, transporting
me to beautiful worlds where my problems have no weight or value. However, I have noticed
over the last five years that I have become more of a consumer rather than a reader. I search and
search social media in vain, hoping to find the perfect book recommendation with all the plot
points that I think I want to read. I have read books simply because I was told they were different
and niche, a stupid notion that I am slightly embarrassed to admit. As I have had time to reflect
upon my reading habits, I notice the negative impact social media has had on the reading
community.
Reading has become nothing more than crossing a title off a list, turning an art into a
task. It is now all about consumption, scraping fingernails on the chalkboard in hopes of grasping
the next big hit or NYT bestseller. I scroll on social media and the main books that I am
recommended all have the same plot, are ridiculously explicit, and have no intrinsic value to
them. I understand that this view may be entirely pretentious, and books do not have to all be
Pulitzer Prize winners, but my point is that these mindless books I speak of are the main ones
being promoted. The beautiful art and practice of discovering and reading a wonderful book
simply because you found it on a shelf somewhere is lost. I will happen upon book pages on
social media and feel as if I am watching animals devour their meals as if they have never eaten
before. I watch as social media stabs literature till it is no more, leaving behind a brutally marred
shadow of greatness. The modern consumption of books is nothing short of savage.
On the other hand, I can see how social media offers a community for readers to find
recommendations and ideas for books. This, however, opens a tunnel into the problem that is a
lack of general physical community. The art of real-life book clubs and reading groups loses its
hold more and more with each generation. How can these social media groups be considered real
community if there is no real human interaction or connection? I wonder if the problem isn’t
necessarily social media, but the smothering grasp it is has on its users.
This is a matter that makes me feel extremely disheartened and upset. There is such
privilege in this country to be able to publish and read the books we desire, and we spit on that
privilege each time we mark a book off our reading lists. I just so badly want reading to be more
than mindless consumption. All in all, I can sit here and call out my audience, making strong
claims about social media, yet I have a TBR list in my Notes app. Then again, I never claimed to
be guiltless.
Jillian Sarver is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2027. She is studying English and Psychology with a minor in political science.