I spent the weekend frothing with rage at members of the laptop class who were mocking the influencers who will lose income if TikTok is successfully banned in the United States.
Thank you for including "This is not my only source of income, so please do not worry about my financial situation!" in your post. You are the face of BookTok to me, and as I've been following the news, I've been wondering what it means for you.
Great opinion piece, shared on Bluesky. The TikTok backlash that pisses me off most is how so many assume this ban only affects young people. I’m 59 and as a writer, TikTok has brought me exponentially more followers than any other platform. As a curious person, it’s one of my favorite places to learn.
I have friends who've poured their time and energy into TikTok and seen major upswings in their sales. I hope if it goes away something else pops up to replace it, but I'm sure it won't be the same. I'm in favor of anything that gets people to read more! Maybe we'll see more of a shift toward Substack and Discord.
Yes, exactly! I hate when we make fun of readers, whether those are young women who read fantasy or the mythical Brooklyn man who loves Infinite Jest. Why do we make fun of people who love novels!?
it was coined in 2020, to describe the commentariat on Twitter who could work from home and chime in with their opinions on everything, while Amazon warehouse workers and DoorDash delivery fulfilled their every need.
I don’t use TikTok, but I benefit greatly from the trickle-down effect that comes from people I follow here who use it. It’s a luxury (I respect others love for the app but I’ve never enjoyed it) not to use TikTok because they use it for me and share their insights. We all lose if/when it finally goes.
Thank you for including "This is not my only source of income, so please do not worry about my financial situation!" in your post. You are the face of BookTok to me, and as I've been following the news, I've been wondering what it means for you.
thanks for thinking of me!
"The laptop class"! Love it!
Great opinion piece, shared on Bluesky. The TikTok backlash that pisses me off most is how so many assume this ban only affects young people. I’m 59 and as a writer, TikTok has brought me exponentially more followers than any other platform. As a curious person, it’s one of my favorite places to learn.
There are so many myths and misperceptions!
I have friends who've poured their time and energy into TikTok and seen major upswings in their sales. I hope if it goes away something else pops up to replace it, but I'm sure it won't be the same. I'm in favor of anything that gets people to read more! Maybe we'll see more of a shift toward Substack and Discord.
Yes, exactly! I hate when we make fun of readers, whether those are young women who read fantasy or the mythical Brooklyn man who loves Infinite Jest. Why do we make fun of people who love novels!?
What is "the laptop class?" I'm not familiar with that term...
it was coined in 2020, to describe the commentariat on Twitter who could work from home and chime in with their opinions on everything, while Amazon warehouse workers and DoorDash delivery fulfilled their every need.
Ahh, okay -- thanks. So that happened during the first year of the pandemic, when many people had to work from home?
Grateful for your book thoughts Leigh!
Grateful for your takes as always! And if you did read Private Rites, would love your thoughts :)
will DM you as soon as I read!
I don’t use TikTok, but I benefit greatly from the trickle-down effect that comes from people I follow here who use it. It’s a luxury (I respect others love for the app but I’ve never enjoyed it) not to use TikTok because they use it for me and share their insights. We all lose if/when it finally goes.