Purpose – This exploratory case study examines the social contexts of young people’s technology experiences within the sociotechnical landscape of BookTok. By observing the interplay between young people, books, (Brun et al., 2016; [removed for peer review]), and the technology (TikTok) that connects them, this study demonstrates how young people blend analog and digital media tools to make reading, a formerly solitary activity, social and fun.

Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory case study followed hashtags related to three bestsellers to select young people’s BookTok videos across Denmark and the English-language world. Inductive coding (Saldaña, 2021) helped researchers identify themes, and connect those to our research questions.

Findings – TikTok and BookTok offered young people opportunities for reading engagement in social, bookish communities during the pandemic by using a digital tool to promote reading in print. In doing so, their actions made reading and being a reader highly entertaining and had a direct impact on the structures of the publishing industry.

Originality – Because TikTok is a relatively new tool, and BookTok is a hashtag community that became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic; research on this topic is still in its earliest stages.

Research limitations/implications – As an exploratory case study with a small sample size, this research is not generalizable. But the findings can be applied to future work on reading, publishing, and connected learning in a sociotechnical landscape.

Practical implications – BookTok connects print and digital formats, offering innovative possibilities for young people’s connected learning and reading promotion in schools and libraries.