Young people’s reading culture is becoming a play culture. Unlike in the past, young people enjoy reading in various ways, such as posting about their reading experiences on SNS or visiting “Book Talks,” where various people gather to talk about books. For young people, “reading” is not only assumed to be a tool for acquiring information.             

“Text Hip” played a role in the change in young people’s reading culture. Text Hip combines “text,” which means writing, and “hip,” which means trendy. This reflects the perception of young people that it is cool to consume textual content, including books. Consuming text-based content enjoyed by only a few has become a noticeable trend in an era when video content and short-form content are increasing. According to the 2023 National Reading Survey Report released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism this year, about 6 out of 10 adults do not read even one book a year. Text Hip is expected to help overcome the declining reading rate in this situation.

■ Changing Reading Culture of People in their 20s and 30s

In the trend of text hip, the culture of visiting book pop-up stores, book exhibitions, book talks, reading books, and posting impressions on SNS is becoming more active among young people. In fact, if you look at the bookstagram posts that share impressions after reading books on Instagram, the most popular social media used by the 20s and 30s, 6.04 million posts were searched as of August 28th. Noh Soo-Jung (27, Busanjin-gu), who enjoys this new culture as a hobby, said, “I see more and more friends reading books and writing book reports on blogs recently.”

The way young people choose books has also changed. According to the statistics of book-related information collection routes in the 2023 National Reading Survey Report, most people collect information about books through SNS, acquaintances around them, YouTube, book introduction broadcasts, newspapers, and best-selling promotions. The younger the age group, the more people get information through SNS and YouTube. It was 43.1% among those in their 20s and younger and 40.8% among those in their 30s. Sales of the novel “The Age of Innocence” have soared eightfold since a member of the famous idol group “New Jeans” was shown reading the classic novel in a music video.

Critics say such a new culture is show-off reading by the younger generation. However, the publishing industry welcomes this renewed attention to reading and is adapting its marketing strategies. Publisher “Munhakdongne” opened a pop-up store in Seongdong called “Haruki Murakami Station” to celebrate the publication of a new book from September 9th to 17th, 2023. In addition, Park Sun-Young (CEO, publisher), of “Publion,” said, “In an era when various contents are overflowing, readers read books only when they attract more interest than other contents. Therefore, the marketing strategy has changed, such as large publishers opening YouTube channels or actively promoting SNS.” Ahn Hee-Seok (CEO, Balcony) said, “In Korea, we take reading too seriously. We need a culture where we can read books a little more comfortably.”

■ “Book Fair,” a reading festival, is also held in Busan

Thanks to the reading culture led by text hip, “Book Fairs” attracts many people’s attention nationwide. A Book Fair is an exhibition that invites various publishers to hold book-related events and discover independent books. Thanks to its combination with trendy sensory elements, it has recently attracted the attention of many members of the young generation. 150,000 people visited the “Seoul International Book Fair” held in Seoul in June, and about 70% were in their 20s and 30s.

The popularity of Book Fairs is also increasing in Busan. The first “Book&Contents Fair” was held at BEXCO from August 23rd to 25th. According to Ahn Myung-Sun (CEO, MARU CONVENTION) who hosted the Book Fair, it was unprecedented for a large-scale book fair to be held in Busan using a professional exhibition hall, which further raised the expectations of young Busan people interested in reading. Noh Soo-Jung, who visited this Busan Book Fair, said, “I visited the Book Fair in Busan because I thought I could receive book recommendations while encountering high-quality books.”

The Busan Book Fair offered a comfortable atmosphere with various books to read and enjoy. Publishers from multiple fields, including indie publishers, occult specialty publishers, and French translation publishers, participated in the exhibition. There are also 11 lecture programs, including cartoonists and children’s song lyricists, and 150 experience and exhibition booths under various themes such as “How to Be a Webtoon Writer and Webtoon Story.” On one side of the exhibition hall, there is also a wall to attach notes so visitors can share their favorite writings and books. Noh Ji-Won (21, Geumjeong-gu) said, “I liked that there were more indie publishers than I expected, so I could see many books that I had not seen at large bookstores. I also made my own books in the zone where I could experience them, and it was fun.”

CEO Ahn Hee-Seok said, “I also participated in the Seoul International Book Fair. In both exhibitions, it was impressive that the visit rate of those in their 20s and 30s was remarkably high.” CEO Ahn Myung-Sun, who directed the event, said, “Many people came to the Busan Book Fair with more visitors than expected, and they said they would wait for the next book fair. “It seems we achieved our goal of making the fair appealing to public.”

Reporter Kim So-Young

Translated by Seo Ye-Jin