How #BookTok made the Kindle the internet’s latest obsession

Move over Stanley cup, the humble e-reader is the latest TikTok obsession. Self-proclaimed “Kindle girlies” are decking out their e-readers with stickers, accessories, and remote-control page-turners. Gone are the days of curling up with an old-fashioned paperback—thanks to the burgeoning #BookTok subculture, e-readers are the new “It” accessory.

Amazon Kindle sales have been growing in double-digit percentages for the past two years, according to the Wall Street Journal, buoyed largely by the under-45 crowd. (Some 60% of Kindle sales come from first-time buyers.) While print books are still the most popular format for reading, according to Pew Research, three-in-ten Americans now also read e-books.

Anyone who has struggled to shove a hefty hardcover into their handbag knows an e-readers portability is its biggest selling point. But these days, Kindle enthusiasts aren’t content just owning their e-reader. The term “Kindle accessories” has racked up over 7.9 billion views on TikTok, as readers compete to create the coziest, most post-worthy reading set-up.

@readbykaleigh finally decorated my kindle and there’s no looking back 📖🎀 #booktok #kindle #kindledecorating #decoratemykindlewithme #kindlegirlie #coquette #aesthetic #readbykaleigh Decorating My Kindle Kindle Reader Decorate My Kindle With Me Kindle Girlie ♬ original sound – Danni

@readbykaleigh finally decorated my kindle and there’s no looking back 📖🎀 #booktok #kindle #kindledecorating #decoratemykindlewithme #kindlegirlie #coquette #aesthetic #readbykaleigh Decorating My Kindle Kindle Reader Decorate My Kindle With Me Kindle Girlie ♬ original sound – Danni

finally decorated my kindle and there’s no looking back 📖🎀 #booktok #kindle #kindledecorating #decoratemykindlewithme #kindlegirlie #coquette #aesthetic #readbykaleigh Decorating My Kindle Kindle Reader Decorate My Kindle With Me Kindle Girlie

For those looking to upgrade their reading game, you can accessorize your e-reader with Kindle charms that double as dust plugs for the charging port. For bookworms on-the-go, there’s a $58 belt bag, which includes a dedicated lip-balm slot and two pockets to stash your Kindle(s). Want to read hands-free? There’s a mount that clips onto your bed frame or nightstand, and for the ultimate luxury, a remote control page-turner.(For those in their reading era, Kindle decorating videos, Kindle must-haves, and Kindle unboxings have also become ubiquitous on social media.)

Ironically, reading is often advocated as an antidote to the internet. But, as Barry Pierce writes for GQ, “Being perceived as having read a lot of books warrants a fair share of cultural capital.” Little surprise, then, that social media has become a place where people gather to share their bookish obsessions and gadgets.

BookTok has catapulted authors like Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas right to the top of bestsellers lists, prompting bookstores like Barnes & Noble to create sections dedicated to titles popular on TikTok. For better or worse, #BookTok has changed not just the books we read but the way we read altogether.