By Mallory Mattingly
Writer Sebastian Castillo has begun to answer the question: Do you really love to read, or are you just “performative reading?”
Performative Reading is the act of reading out in public, just so everyone around them knows that they read.
“If you’re on the bus or at the park or at a cafe, nobody really cares about you or what you’re doing,” Castillo told NBC News. “And so I think it’s, more than anything, just kind of a silly way to think about how people tend to observe themselves more than how other people observe them.”
Performative reading has started to become a mockery on social media. There are “real and staged videos of people reading at coffee shops, on escalators, or at basketball games have become fodder for jokes about ‘performative reading,’ or the idea that people want to look like they’re reading without actually doing so.”
@dellwinder Men will do anything these days 🙄
Related: How Reading the Bible Improves the Lives of Younger Generations
@kentokari are we serious rn 💀 bro is NOT reading that book 😭 ts so performative 🥀 #fyp #performative #outfitinspo #OOTD #fitcheck
@landonsfits two books bro?? are we deaduzz?? ts so performative 😪💔🥀 #fyp #foryoupage #performative #matcha #feministliterature #malemanipulator #feminist
Many of the videos on social media are just to poke fun at or gain views, but many readers think that performative reading is a very real thing.
Content creator Raol Muong made a TikTok video about the reasons books have become the new accessory in public spaces.
“Especially on TikTok and in Instagram Reels, we can see that the algorithm basically rewards what looks good, like the eye-catching cover and the staged coffee shots in a downtown cafe,” Muong said in the video. “They’re focusing on what looks good and not whether the book is being read or not. And I think, because of this, platforms turn books into basically aesthetic props to curate in their Instagram dumps.”
@missingslipperss are books the new accessory? #creatorsearchinsights #videoessay #videodiary #psychology #sociology #performative #performativereading #socialidentitytheory #genz #culturalcommentary #culturalanalysis
Likewise, booklover Éva Jéga-Szabó said she began to go “for shorter books or novellas rather than what I actually wanted to read. I was pushing for the numbers rather than just engaging with literature the way I wanted. And only recently, when I stopped being attached to the numbers, did I start enjoying it again.
“I see this from a lot of people who say that they feel a lot of pressure and shame and they’re going through these reading slogs and they don’t want to read anymore,” she added.
A post shared by Boze the Library Owl on X took a stand against those who think performative reading exists.
“I hear this all the time. ‘Why are you reading on the subway? You should be scrolling like the rest of us!’ There’s no such thing as performative reading. It’s good to read in public, good to read books you enjoy. Don’t let anyone shame you for seeking to broaden your mind,” the post reads.
I hear this all the time. “Why are you reading on the subway? You should be scrolling like the rest of us!” There’s no such thing as performative reading. It’s good to read in public, good to read books you enjoy. Don’t let anyone shame you for seeking to broaden your mind. pic.twitter.com/bBv2HDEyh2
— Boze the Library Owl 😴🧙♀️ (@SketchesbyBoze) July 2, 2025
While performative reading has become very real, it all boils down to the fact that people are more concerned with how the world views them rather than just being the person God created them to be. Instead of reading books in public, people should pick up their Bible and read God’s Word, so that they will begin to feel more confident in themselves because of what Christ did for them on the cross.
Read Next: New Study Reveals Reading the Bible Every Day Makes You More Confident
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