Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.
Happy Friday, friends!
This week’s prompt: Do you run a Booktube? (suggested by Dani @ Literary Lion).
Blogging or Booktubing?
I currently only have a blog. Surprisingly, I enjoy the writing part of blogging. I don’t really write much in my daily life except for work emails haha! I like being able to work on posts using different tech (phone, laptop, desktop). It’s easy to stop working on a post and pick up right where I left off. I also like being able to work on posts while doing other things like watching tv, listening to music or laying in bed.
Which has the better format?
It’s really all about preference I think. From the standpoint of consuming the content, it’s kind of like choosing print, electronic, or audiobooks. Blogs and Booktubes have their pros and cons. I prefer to read blogs than to watch vlogs. I can quickly read posts quietly while I’m supposed to be working (don’t tell!) and can skim posts if they are really long or something I’m not really interested in. Like audiobooks, it’s harder to do that with video and audio because you don’t really know when to stop fast forwarding to the parts that you want. I rarely watch anything on YouTube (except for the occasional music video). Booktubes are alot more visually engaging though!
Do you ever want to run a booktube if you don’t already?
Honestly, it doesn’t really interest me at this point in my life. Maybe I would have tried it if Booktubing had been a thing during my teens/20’s when I had alot more free time. I feel like Booktubing requires more setup and planning. You have to set up your equipment, prepare your appearance and your recording area, have your props (if any). Then you have to edit the video and add whatever text/graphics, that you need to. With the way my life is right now, I don’t think that I have the space in my brain to learn how to do it.
From the Booktubes I have seen, it’s kind of discouraging to me to be interested for a few reasons. First, it takes me forever to finish a book. Second, it seems like most Booktubes involve print books, which I just don’t buy or borrow anymore. I get kind of Instagram influencer vibes and messages of consumerism when it comes to Booktubes (and IG Bookstagrams) in general. When I search for Booktubes, a majority of videos I see show people holding stacks of books, with shelves and shelves of books in the background covered with bookish/pop culture things. Even though I live a fairly comfortable life, it makes me feel inadequate. Like I don’t have enough, my bookshelves aren’t pretty enough, or I don’t have the books that everyone else has. It makes me wonder how affects readers who might not have the means own/borrow books, let alone their own personal space to have something like what they see in these videos? Who knows, maybe readers in those type of socioeconomic situations might not be searching for Booktubes or have access to the technology to watch videos online in the first place.
I’m sorry, guys. This post took a turn that I was not expecting. I honestly didn’t think I would have much to write about when I started this post. I don’t mean to offend or bash anyone that does have a Booktube or Bookstagram. And I’m not saying that all Booktubes or Bookstagrams are like this. Everyone is entitled to spend their time and money however they want. Just like I choose not to watch Booktubes or follow Bookstagrams because they make me feel so crummy. It’s just something that crossed my mind and needed to get off my chest. I guess what caught me off guard the most is that I’ve never had a feeling of inadequacy like this when it comes to books and reading. But that could be proof of my privilege as well because I’ve always been able to access book in some way. I’m curious if there are any other bloggers out there who feel similar.
Anyhow, I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say this week. Thanks for reading.