The more I spend time on bookish social media, the more I find myself stumped by this question. On some days, the answer is one way, but then a few weeks, or even days later, it will change. It shouldn’t, but it does. Why is that? I don’t think I am alone in this conundrum; in fact, I know I am not. What is it about these spaces that makes us feel we need to give more of ourselves, or worse, all of ourselves, to feel fulfilled as a reader? What is the reality of bookish social media, and where can we take a step back and really see what we want to get out of it?

That is a lot to unpack, isn’t it? Let me set the stage a little; after seeing and hearing people talk about books online, posting reviews and getting their names out there even though they are from New Zealand, I felt the courage to start my own bookstagram. It was a very slow-going process, but I enjoyed it. I posted the reviews I wanted to (and some I didn’t), I read a wide range of titles and found favourites in places I would never have guessed. The more I read, the more people I started to follow, and the more content I saw created. But as with everything, things change. The algorithm shifted, people started posting differently, and I felt like I was fighting the current just to stay afloat. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, to be honest.

During this time, I was chopping and changing my layout, my post schedule, my content, and the way I spoke just to see what would stick. What ended up sort of working didn’t feel like me, though, but I pressed on and continued to do it that way to try and keep up with others. When I started this blog, I felt that pressure lift as I was able to write my full-length reviews again without needing to be wary of the caption limit. I felt more like myself, but there are still restrictions. I was essentially building up a new group of readers on a platform I knew nothing about. It has been a slow process, but I love the community here, and the difference between traditional book blogging and social media book blogging makes both feel fun and interesting.

But did this magically fix my struggle with bookstagram? No, unfortunately. I still had to work out what I was doing and what I realistically could manage with my change in lifestyle, especially when I started my PhD journey. I am still very passionate about books, reading, and the New Zealand literary space (I wouldn’t be doing my PhD otherwise), but I needed to really look at the purpose of annafromuni on bookstagram.

I still struggle with this today. The umming and aahing about what to post, when to post, how often to post, and so on. At the end of the day, books are a business, publishing companies want their products read and sold, and authors are trying to make a living writing. I am so lucky to be able to talk to so many incredible people from various avenues of the bookish landscape here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and through these chats, I have come to some answers I feel resonate with me. So, let’s answer the question – to go all in or not go all in as a bookish content creator.

My answer is no. Reading is a hobby, it is not a job, and I shouldn’t treat it as such. Similarly, my bookstagram account is a space to share my hobby, not to create a version of me that is all about reading. I love too many things in this day and age to just talk about reading. From baking to puzzles, to nature and music, my time and how I spend it is something that should be shared as a collective, but not in its entirety. I love talking about books and sharing the joys of reading with others, but you won’t be seeing me every day or getting reviews from me like clockwork. That just isn’t how my life runs, as lovely as it would be to be so polished and plottable as that. I also don’t want to share more of me than is relevant. I am a young person, but not too young to remember the talks about “what you share online is up there forever”. Social media may evolve, but it shouldn’t change the fundamental boundaries we have about what people have access to about us.

From what I can tell, I felt compelled to share a lot of myself to keep up, and it just isn’t me. I’m an introvert. I don’t really want to talk about my private spaces or share them with the world. As a bookish content creator, I think we all need to remember that we are allowed to keep things about ourselves to ourselves for ourselves. No one wants to lose interest in a dearly beloved hobby because it has begun to feel like a job that drains the life out of you, and I feel bookish social media may be headed in that direction for a lot of us. You are absolutely welcome to post whatever you want, to share as much of yourselves as you would like to, but I hope we all keep in mind that our hobbies are for our own enjoyment, and protecting your hobby is important.