At its core, this shift isn’t about literature — it’s about looking like a reader. Books have become an accessory, a personality trait and a status symbol. As a result, people are reading more visibly than ever. The joy of getting lost in a story, of struggling with complex ideas and of truly reading seems to be fading.
I was far from a troublemaker as a child, but I was frequently chastised for the one reason you would never expect an adult to take issue with. I was reading too much. But since entering college in September 2022, I’ve faced the opposite problem: I don’t read nearly enough. I’ve developed imposter syndrome of the literary kind. Do I still have the right to call myself a reader if I don’t read like I used to?
The ability to connect with people when you’re unable to see them in real life gives me faith in the idea of social media. I don’t necessarily think all of it’s bad, but I wanted to find a different way to connect with friends beyond artificial photo updates. In the search for this new way to connect, I discovered Letterboxd: A social media app for film.
