Esra Usta talks about literature on Tiktok, Jasmine Lichtman discusses the latest books in her book club. Why do young Gen Z people read more often than the generation before them? A search for clues.
When the video about the books she read in August went viral, Esra suddenly realized how powerful Tiktok is. Esra Usta, 26, sits in front of a bookshelf that reaches to the ceiling. Her black hair is parted down the middle and she wears sharp eyeliner. When asked what her favorite book is, she reaches behind her for “Babel” by Rebecca F. Kuang. She smiles. “I have three versions of it,” says Esra. She starts talking, her enthusiasm is contagious – and it has to be: because Esra is a book toker. In addition to her studies and her part-time job, she has been posting for two years on Tiktok at @esraustabooks Videos about books.