Since 2025 started, I've come to the conclusion that the literature industry is slowly decaying. The once ubiquitous musings on society are being replaced by trendy TikTok slow burns, and the once light-hearted artistic novels are now overshadowed by overused, attention-span-friendly book tropes. Today I will be exploring why that is, the negative impact it has on literature, and how that connects to all of us.

You've probably gathered from the introduction that I believe social media is one of the main culprits for the downfall of literature—and you're absolutely right. I believe the main three issues that social platforms bring to the literature industry are: a). the normalization of book tropes, b). the romanticization and idealization of book aesthetics and c). the commercialization of literature. Let's talk about these three.

First off, a). The normalization of book tropes. Book tropes are essentially commonly used plot devices that are a bit like storytelling short cuts (examples would be: friends to lovers, quest, grumpy slash sunshine, supernatural fiction and vampire stories). Let me get it straight: I have nothing against them. But I do have a problem with the normalization and expectation of book tropes in books. For example, YA fantasy novels are all the rage currently, and they are the epitome of tropes: from enemies to lovers to star-crossed quests, these tropes have helped it become one of the most popular genres today. Don't get me wrong, these YA fantasy, trope-filled, internet-friendly books are amusing, but when the trope is put into the story simply because it is a trope, we have a problem. A trope is for the sake of the plot and the characters, not for the readers. I've heard a quote before, "writing is an art, and publishing is a business". I agree with that. Incorporating business with art is absolutely important, but when you degrade your original artistic value to a lesser, easier-to-understand story, then you are bending to the simplification of writing caused by social media. Receiving good sales if important, but in my opinion, artistic value is more so. Degrading it for the sake of including tropes will more often than not, make your novel seem cliché and reused.

Similarly, the second issue, b)—the romanticization & idealization of book aesthetics, will also degrade your artistic value. In recent years, because the internet is becoming more and more popular, readers have begun to incorporate literature with social media simply to make reading seem more interesting. People are now reading because it's an "aesthetic", and not because books are—oh, I don't know—a device to discover, think, be intellectually simulated, or to feel less alone?! The romanticization of reading pressures writers to make their stories shallower and more internet-friendly. All of this is so fricking outrageous. Finding an agent in traditional publishing is hard enough, are you telling me writers also have to lower the value of their art because of social media??? Give us a break!

Yet finally we come to issue c), which is even more outrageous than the previous ones. The commercialization of literature. As I quoted before, "writing is an art, and publishing is a business". Right! Writing is an art! But when you make writing a business as well, in preparation for publishing (um, are you okay?), then you're not exactly writing anymore, are you? You're manufacturing. You're manufacturing overused industry crap. Yet this is exactly what social media is telling us to do, which is to simplify our stories, make them shallow, and launch them through TikTok or YouTube for a pathetic pinch of cash. It's pathetic to write for cash grab. Don't get me wrong, writing motivated by financial purposes is absolutely amazing, but if you're writing only for the money, then you need therapy. And even if a writer manages to write an amazing, original novel, the publisher or agent would most likely tweak it to fit the general interest (by adding tropes), or by simplifying the plot. Because of that, all the books that emerge are manufactured, industrial and repetitive. The writing industry is stuck on a broken record. Sometimes it's about the art, NOT THE SALES! Also, art brings sales!!!!

A Court of Thorns and Roses, City of Ashes, Matched, Coyote Sunrise and Shatter Me are all examples of horrible books influenced by social media—and three of them are quite popular as well. I don't recommend reading them.

But. These are few of the good books not infiltrated by social media (these are the classics):

1. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Land Of Stories are exactly what a YA/children's fantasy series should look like. (I don't mind if other fantasy series contain more romance or drama, but at the end of the day, genuine art is what shines through.)
2. The Hunger Games, Divergent and Scythe for YA dystopian
3. The Book Thief, The War That Saved My Life and Projekt 1065 for historical fiction (Projekt 1065 is a bit propagandic)
4. Moonrise, One and Dress Coded for general lighthearted social commentary/realistic fiction
5. And overall, I really like the authors Jaqueline Wilson, Sarah Crossan and (needless to say) J. K. Rowling.

Overall, I believe that the literature industry is crumbling away, but a few timeless classics are single-handedly keeping it alive. There have not been any new book releases recently (that I love), but I do see a possible future for the literature industry. Writing and reading are such timeless, classical things that force us to keep thinking, loving, doing, living and romancing. Let's keep them alive, and let's keep our culture alive.

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