The figure of these literary influencers is integrated as an educational instrument to promote reading among children and adolescents.
The booktuber phenomenon, led by people, mostly women, who use their YouTube channel to talk and share their love for books, has grown exponentially in recent years to the point of expanding its field of influence to other social networks, such as Instagram (bookstagram) or TikTok, and to have among its ranks users – already influencers of reading – who have been able to create communities with more than 100,000 followers, mostly teenagers and young people eager to discover new titles suggested by their leading literary prescribers.
Experience shows us that the best reading prescribers for children and adolescents are their peers, whether they are peers or references on social networks. When an admired booktuber makes a recommendation or literary proposal, it will always be more considered than if that same recommendation comes from a teacher or a family member.
Based on this evidence, there are many teachers who are relying on the booktuber boom as a tool to awaken interest in reading among their students, while developing other academic skills.
Creativity and imagination encouraged using digital tools.
In addition to all these benefits in terms of developing communication skills and promoting reading, another advantage of these initiatives that have booktubers as protagonists: eliminating the stigma of everything that has to do with the internet and social networks.
Booktubers are still anonymous to the masses. 100,000 followers are not many in an online environment. They do not have the media impact of YouTubers, introducing these “anonymous” profiles in reading environments “could give them greater notoriety” among students.
