Do you think social media affects your reading? I think it does (for me, at least). Between all the platforms in which I have accounts, I think Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads, make (and leave) the biggest impact on what I read, if I read, and how I read.
There is always something controversial going down on Twitter. Usually I steer away from them, but no before I can get a look at who most of the hate is directed to and why that person (or people) did to deserve it. I don’t like to take sides, but I can tell you, I am way less likely to support (and therefore, read a book by) an author that for some reason is fighting with readers. It just rubs me the wrong way, so no thanks.
But it’s not all dark and gloomy on Twitter. I’ve actually gotten some really good book recommendations from other users.
This is probably the brightest of the three platforms that really affect my reading… except for the way it makes me feel. Half the time I’m on Instagram, I’m turning green with envy. Usually for two reasons – someone’s really good photo taking skills, and/or the books they have. But Instagram is a really good place to get recs too, especially if you judge books by their covers. Which, let’s be honest, everyone does.
Goodreads
Goodreads is definitely my favorite “social media” site (if you can call it that) that affects my reading. This year, I’m switching things up and actually using the “currently reading” shelf. And by participating in the Goodreads Challenge and refusing to let a book off the shelf until I’ve finished it and published a review, I’m not only reading more books, but writing more reviews. Plus I DNF less books just because I “wasn’t in the mood”. Plus, Goodreads also has a really great recommendation function. It takes in consideration the books you’ve read and the ratings you give to try to introduce you to new books. That’s actually how I started reading a lot of my favorite books. I credit Goodreads for introducing me to Divergent, Delirium, The Maze Runner, and even The Hunger Games way before they blew up and become famous.
What about you?
Does social media affect your reading?
If it does, how?
And which social media platforms have the greatest effect?
Goodreads definitely affects my reading since I can read people’s reviews and share my own. But instagram? I’m barely on it, and I haven’t thought of it as a connection to books. Twitter, it kind of depends. There’s just so much going on there.
Social media definitely affects my reading. For one, it’s mega distracting when I am trying to read and for two, it’s the easiest way to hear about new books. After all, pretty much every book blogger and a lot of authors can be found floating around all kinds of social media sites. 🙂 Goodreads is the best for finding new reads, the most distracting would probably be twitter and FB because I interact a lot on both sites.
Social media definitely affects my time reading. But, I can’t feel too bad about it. I read enough!
Yes! I have requested books from netgalley that I saw others gushing about on facebook. I also watch a lot of BookTube videos and love seeing someone trying to tell me about a book. I think it is awesome when booktubers gush about a book and videos have influenced my reading quite a bit.