BookTok is once again at the center of a discussion about reading habits, social media culture and the way people present their interests online. Book creator Susanna Friesen has explored the debate surrounding “intellectual consumerism” after a viral reading challenge involving Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo.
The challenge saw a creator attempt to read the classic novel, which can exceed 1,000 pages depending on the edition, in a single sitting. The challenge generated significant attention online, with viewers questioning whether it was possible to finish such a lengthy book in such a short period.
Some commenters also questioned whether the trend represented a growing culture in which people use intellectual interests as a form of online performance.
Friesen, however, takes a more nuanced approach to the discussion.
What Is Intellectual Consumerism?
According to Friesen, “intellectual consumerism” does not have one universally accepted definition. The term is increasingly used online to describe behaviors involving the accumulation and display of knowledge, books and other interests associated with being intellectual.
This can include treating reading as a productivity competition, purchasing large numbers of books, saving educational content that may never be consumed, or using intellectual interests to construct a particular identity.
The issue, therefore, is not necessarily how many books someone owns or how quickly they read them. Instead, it concerns the relationship between consumption, engagement and identity.
Friesen argues that there are many examples across BookTok that can contribute to this conversation, including massive book hauls, special-edition collections, elaborate annotation systems and yearly reading goals.
However, she emphasizes that participating in these trends does not automatically make someone an example of intellectual consumerism.
The Debate Over Reading The Count of Monte Cristo
One of the main criticisms surrounding the viral challenge involved the audiobook version of The Count of Monte Cristo. Because some audiobook editions run for more than 50 hours, viewers questioned how someone could finish the physical book in one sitting.
Friesen argues that audiobook duration is not a reliable way to determine how long it would take someone to silently read the novel.
Audiobook narrators speak at a pace designed to be understood by listeners, while individual readers process written words at different speeds. Some people naturally read much faster than they can comfortably listen to an audiobook.
More importantly, Friesen questions the assumption that reading speed determines the quality of someone’s experience.
Reading a book slowly does not automatically mean someone has understood it more deeply, while reading quickly does not necessarily mean the reader failed to comprehend or appreciate it.
The creator who completed the challenge also explained that the goal was not simply to finish the book quickly for the sake of adding another title to a reading list. She described wanting to become immersed in the story and experiencing the challenge as a personal reading experience.
Friesen agreed that there can be value in both taking one’s time with a book and becoming completely absorbed in it over a shorter period.
When Does Reading Become Performative?
A major part of the discussion concerns the growing tendency to document hobbies online.
On BookTok, readers frequently share their bookshelves, purchases, reading statistics, annotation systems and reading routines. While these videos can encourage people to read, they can also create pressure to make reading look impressive.
Friesen points to large book hauls as one possible example.
She makes clear that owning unread books is not inherently problematic. Readers may purchase books because they are excited to read them later, while collecting special editions can be a hobby separate from reading itself.
The concern arises when acquiring books becomes primarily about communicating a particular identity.
For example, owning a shelf full of classic literature may communicate an image of someone who is cultured or academically minded. The books then become not only objects to read but also symbols of how the owner wants to be perceived.
Books, Identity and Cultural Capital
Friesen connects this idea to the concept of cultural capital, associated with French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu.
Cultural capital broadly refers to knowledge, skills, tastes and cultural possessions that can communicate education, social position or identity.
Books can therefore carry meaning beyond their contents.
A collection of contemporary romance novels can communicate one set of interests, while a shelf filled with classic literature may communicate another. Neither collection is inherently better, but both can contribute to the identity someone presents to others.
Friesen’s argument is not that people with large bookshelves are necessarily trying to appear intelligent. Instead, she questions what happens when the image associated with owning certain books becomes more important than actually engaging with them.
Intelligence Becomes an Aesthetic
Another major element of Friesen’s discussion is the way intelligence itself has become an aesthetic online.
The “dark academia” trend is perhaps one of the clearest examples. It romanticizes old libraries, classical literature, universities, handwritten notes, candles and traditional academic settings.
Friesen acknowledges the appeal of the aesthetic and notes that creating an appealing environment can encourage people to participate in an activity.
The concern begins when the aesthetic becomes a replacement for the activity.
Social media is filled with content promising to help people become more intelligent, cultured or knowledgeable through specific books, podcasts, hobbies and habits.
Intelligence can consequently become something that is presented almost like a lifestyle transformation.
When Reading Becomes a Competition
Reading goals are another area where Friesen sees potential problems.
Platforms such as Goodreads and Fable allow readers to track how many books they complete during a year. Reading goals can provide motivation, but they can also turn reading into a scoreboard.
A reader may avoid a long novel because it could make it harder to reach an annual target. Others may select several shorter books toward the end of the year simply to increase their numbers.
Some readers may even increase audiobook playback speeds to finish books more quickly.
Friesen argues that the problem is not having a reading goal. Instead, the concern is what happens when the number becomes more important than the reading experience.
The same debate extends to audiobooks and rereading. Questions about whether listening to an audiobook “counts” as reading can turn a personal hobby into a competition over who qualifies as a legitimate reader.
For Friesen, readers should be free to define their own goals.
A More Nuanced View of BookTok
Ultimately, Friesen argues that intellectual consumerism may be a real phenomenon, but it is extremely difficult to diagnose from a social media post.
Someone with hundreds of books may genuinely enjoy collecting them. A reader who uses elaborate tabs and annotations may find that process genuinely useful. Someone attempting to read a massive novel in one sitting may simply enjoy the challenge.
What viewers see online does not necessarily reveal the creator’s motivation.
For Friesen, the more important question is whether someone’s intellectual interests encourage genuine thought and engagement or are primarily being used to create an image of being intellectual.
That distinction is difficult to see from the outside.
Aesthetic interests can also serve as gateways into genuine hobbies. Someone might purchase a beautiful edition because they love the cover and eventually discover a favorite novel. Another reader might begin annotating because they enjoy the appearance of colorful tabs and later discover that the process helps them understand books better.
Likewise, a one-day reading challenge may begin as a social media trend while still resulting in a meaningful and immersive experience.
Friesen’s argument ultimately calls for more caution before judging someone’s intentions based solely on their online content.
Reading quickly does not automatically make an experience shallow, just as reading slowly does not guarantee deeper understanding. Owning numerous books does not automatically mean someone is collecting them for status, and having an elaborate reading setup does not prove that the reader is more intellectual.