BookTok, Gatekeeping And A Colossal Dune Obsession

I spend a fair amount of time on TikTok — more than I probably should. My ‘for you page’ primarily contains content about queerness, Dungeon and Dragons, and punk music. However, I also like to think that I am a member of the community known as BookTok — the literary community of TikTok. It is a fantastic community in which people share their love for literature. It has been responsible for a significant surge in reading, especially among teens, with numerous bookstores acknowledging an increase in sales of the books going viral on TikTok.

BookTok’s Dune Obsession

A recent TikTok trend has been people trying to read Frank Herbert’s Dune and simply not having a good time. Many people in the videos have expressed their frustration with the dense and over-complicated writing of the novel.

I read Dune as a teenager, and it made me fall in love with the genre. I am 24 now, and I still recognise the impact the series had on me growing up. However, I am not inclined to reread the novel. The plot develops slowly and keeping track of all the characters, the political machinations, and precisely what’s going on feels like an arduous task. That is not even to mention the problematic aspects of the books and the way it serves as a vector for Herbert’s thoughts regarding Islam (much like C.S. Lewis and the horrendous prejudice against Islam in the Narnia books — I am looking at you A Boy and his Horse).

Gatekeeping In Booktok

However, in response to these videos, there is a small group of users sneering at the inability of people to finish the book. The commentary typically takes the form of: “lol, all these people who read 100 young adults (“YA”) books a month can’t finish Dune.” The videos embody a spirit of “I read certain types of books therefore, I am better than you”. It is an extension of an incredibly pervasive culture within the literary community; you must read certain books or types of books to be considered a reader.

Every month I see a different post on social media which embodies this idea. Sometimes it’s a list of “50 books you must read before you die.” Other times, it is an ableist and classist thread about how audiobooks and eBooks are not actual books. However, they are real books, and several case studies show how access to multiple literary mediums improves overall literacy rates. This is gatekeeping.

Gatekeeping As A Barrier To Reading

In the context of virtual communities, gatekeeping places arbitrary limits on what it entails to be part of a group. In the case of the literary community, it is defining what constitutes a reader by the types of books they read. You are not a reader if you do not read the right books. Your intellect is measured by the types of books you read. People may regard you as an infant if you have not read the white literary classics. It is a limited worldview and one that does not allow for diversity in voices.

The gatekeeping of the literary community reminds me of the gatekeeping you frequently see in the alternative and punk music communities. I remember getting into an argument on Tumblr with someone who claimed that anyone who only listened to the band My Chemical Romance after their 2013 album Danger Days: The True Lives of Fabulous Killjoys was a fake fan. Seeing people police the validity of someone’s identity as a reader based on whether they have read Dune or Moby Dick gives me vivid flashbacks to primary school and being bullied for reading Shakespeare (I was an incredibly pretentious 12-year-old). It’s a different side of the same coin, and both perpetuate negative associations with reading.

Gatekeeping creates a barrier to entry within the literary community. It deters people from wanting to read. Its only function is to be exclusionary and create a sense of shame and stigma around people’s reading habits. However, a resounding chorus of voices has struck back at this exclusionary narrative.

One of the best sources of this counter-narrative is the podcast Reading Glasses. The hosts, Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara, constantly espouse the idea that if you read books, you are a reader. Their podcast aims to improve people’s reading lives by discussing different reading habits and handy tips and tricks for improving one’s reading lives. A tip of theirs that I live by is the mantra “dump that book”. If you are not enjoying a book, then put it down. Life is too short to read something you do not enjoy.

Pushback Against Gatekeeping

Even on TikTok, creators are pushing back against the narrative that reading Dune is necessary reading. Many are pointing out that people are just hurting themselves trying to push through the book and that this can lead to things like reading burnout. So, they instead push the narrative of reading things you enjoy and just going to watch the movie.

Voices like these are invaluable in the literary community, especially since the community is, unfortunately, incredibly prone to artificial divisions. This stems from how the publishing industry, alongside literary critics, has carved out the distinction between literary fiction and other genres, like speculative fiction, romance or YA. Of course, these genres differ immensely, but the industry places a disproportionate value on literary fiction.

In addition, they are necessary for nurturing a culture of reading and writing within our global society. This is important if we have any hopes of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. An aspect of them relates to ensuring that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults achieve literacy. This is only possible if those who face challenges with literacy are motivated to engage in reading. Gatekeeping is not the cause of illiteracy, but it is most certainly a factor in maintaining structures that inhibit people’s access to literature as it deters people from finding enjoyment in reading. A case study in South Africa outlined the need to encourage people to find pleasure in reading and writing — gatekeeping of the community is counterproductive to creating a culture to promote literacy.

Gatekeeping is a pervasive phenomenon in numerous virtual communities. Creating spaces where a diversity of voices is allowed to express their opinions regarding reading is the best way to counter the hegemonic culture of the literary community. Reading is valuable and should be encouraged to read what they enjoy. In short, dump Dune — life is too short, and many other books are out there.