Books, videos and platforms: Exploring the BookTube interface

Abstract

The publishing market has gone through deep transformations in the last few years, and the emergence of new media actors like BookTubers has increased the complexity of this system. The article proposes understanding BookTuber practices based on an interface-centered approach that goes beyond the conventional studies of the “graphic user interface”. In the framework employed in the article, the “interface” is considered to be the place where different actors relate to each other and the process between them are carried out. The article also presents a map of the BookTuber interface and its tensions. This interface-centered approach, a work-in-progress, could also be applied to other practices.

Keywords:

• BookTube
• interface
• platforms
• publishing
• YouTube

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In this video Elizabeth Vallish reviewed John Green’s Looking for Alaska.

2 This research was performed in accordance with the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki and the ethical protocols established by the Comissió Institucional de Revisió Ètica de Projectes (CIREP-UPF).

3 To preserve the informant’s privacy, this work uses pseudonyms. Other explicit references that might compromise the identity of participants have also been removed.

4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TxIeEL1TYQ. Accessed February 10, 2024.