Lazar Radic on BookTok

ICLE Senior Scholar Lazar Radic was cited by EuroNews in a story about a tweet of his about TikTok that went viral. You can read the full piece here.

“The end of the world.” It’s the sole caption X user Lazar Radic posted alongside an image of a bookshelf in – seemingly – a Waterstones. It’s not just any bookshelf though, it’s one under a new category: TikTok Chart.

It’s not an uncommon sight in bookshops everywhere now. New and old releases popular on TikTok are put together to make it easier to find for users of the platform.

As of today, Radic’s post has been viewed more than 35 million times. He might have hoped for such a mass engagement to agree with his doom-saying tone. Perhaps he’s suggesting that social media-driven readers are opting for more vapid material? He didn’t get that response though. The vast majority celebrate the possibility that young readers are engaging with literature.