Quantity over quality: The phenomenon of ‘dialogue-only’ readers

Many of us have likely come across the online sphere known as ‘BookTok’, a subsection of social media dedicated to discussing books, encompassing the specific niches of classical literature, romance and more. Now, as Sandra Afonso explores in their article, readers are turning to the new phenomenon of ‘dialogue-only’ reading: people are skimming books, reading only sections of dialogue in order to gauge the plot. 

This has sparked much discussion and outrage as readers ironically complain that books have ‘too many words’. However, this phenomenon, like all social media controversies, doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is instead a symptom of how the consumption of media has changed in the digital age.

The probability of a 400-plus-page book entering the bestseller list declined by 29.5% [between 2011 and 2021]

In an article for El País, the journalist Sergio C. Fanjul explored how, from 2011 to 2021, the length of published books fell by 51.5 pages on average, while the probability of a 400-plus-page book entering the bestseller list declined by 29.5%. It’s easy to blame this trend on readers being less willing to read longer books, however we shouldn’t ignore the cause and effect in play. We know that social media algorithms are designed with short-form videos to maximise dopamine and create addiction and, as Afonso noted, this contributes to shortened attention spans, and thus an inability to focus on and process more difficult forms of media, such as books. A similar phenomenon can be seen in the publishing world. In his article, Fanjul goes on to explore how many publishers are opting for collections of small and refined books in order to target their consumer’s interests more directly. 

This commodification of literature is clearly seen on BookTok where content creators and, increasingly, authors themselves are promoting books in a way that appeals to the platform’s algorithmic structure. Books in the romance genre are often advertised as an amalgamation of tropes, ranging from enemies-to-lovers to fake dating. This lets readers know what to expect or whether this book caters to what they are looking for. Thus, readers are led to view literature in this fragmentary way, as a collection of easily categorised parts, rather than as a whole. When the aim of readers is merely to consume the plot of the book rather than to recognise any literary nuance, it leads to phenomena like dialogue-only readers as people are seeking the same instant gratification found from their social media algorithms.

Reading goals have become more a source of competition rather than a personal achievement

Skimming books also has a practical use, however, for maximising the quantity of books people are able to consume. One of the most popular book platforms used by BookTokers is Goodreads, where users can add books to their reading list, rate and review their reads, and set personal reading goals. However, as with much else on social media, these are not exclusively personal goals. For some on BookTok, reading goals have become more a source of competition rather than a personal achievement. As millions share their reading goals and achievements, these numbers are becoming increasingly unrealistic.

While many of BookTok’s avid readers are surely passionate about what they consume, social media’s culture of comparison has nonetheless infiltrated the literary sphere. People post their progress towards their reading goal with the comments usually providing tips such as to read short stories or listen to audiobooks in order to fulfil their goal. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these modes of reading, these kinds of discussions are very telling of how BookTok really views literature. The commodification of reading, seen in both the books and the content discussing them, has transformed the language around reading into a competitive pursuit rather than a hobby for personal enjoyment. It’s no wonder then that many are taking ‘shortcuts’, whether it’s consuming other forms of literature or choosing to read only the surface level content of books through ‘dialogue-only’ reading.

The value of books cannot be found in cherry picking tropes or dialogue in order to suit ourselves

Why are we so desperate to consume this specific form of media? As Afonso notes, reading has rapidly grown in popularity among the younger generation, as we can see with the emergence of mainstream communities like BookTok. Thus, like other indicators of prestige before it, reading or apparent ‘proficiency’ in it has become sought after to the point that even people who likely don’t enjoy reading are seeking ways around it, such as ‘dialogue-only’ reading, in order to be able to post about their ‘achievements’.

The value of books cannot be found in cherry picking tropes or dialogue in order to suit ourselves, nor can it be found in the convenience we are used to with our hyper-specific algorithmic feeds. In this era of instant gratification, intense judgment, and competition online, we should try and discern between what we are told by our algorithms to pursue and what we actually enjoy in order to ensure that both our own attention and the artistic expression of others isn’t reduced to just a product to be consumed.