Social Books: A Boon For Teen Readers—Or A Bit Too Much Noise?

This Thursday, at the TEDxEast conference—an offshoot of the popular TED technology talks—entrepreneurs will unveil Social Books, a new mobile app for the iPad that seeks to make reading a more social experience. Featuring tools like highlighting, synchronization with Twitter and Facebook, and the ability to automatically share new book purchases with other users, the app seems to be attempting to duplicate the book club experience on a mobile device: it lets you talk about what you’re reading, point out specific passages you like, and trade recommendations with friends.

At first glance, this new technology seems like a no-brainer for reluctant readers—especially those of the Facebook-obsessed variety. And if the option of “sharing” a passage from Invisible Man means that more teens will actually read Invisible Man, then I’m certainly not one to stop them.

I do, however, have some pretty mixed feelings about the concept of needing to somehow “update” reading to make it more palatable to a tech-savvy audience, especially since books seem to be some of the last places it’s currently possible to escape social media, for those who might want that option. The thought of getting to see your friends’ ideas on a book as you’re reading it sounds fun—as Meredith said, it duplicates that voyeuristic feeling of receiving a book for your high school English class and discovering that someone’s already made helpful notes in it. But it does remind me a little of reading the comment thread on a news article before you’ve had the chance to make up your mind about the content of the piece. I think there’s something to be said for reading as a solitary act—an immersive practice—and that there’s something valuable in the process of digesting literature at your own pace, on your own terms, without the constant influence of others’ opinions.

At the end of the day, if it encourages more young people to read—or to see reading as “cool”—Social Books is a welcome addition to the ever-expanding world of mobile apps. And there’s absolutely potential here for use in the classroom, as a jumping-off point or an organizational tool for group discussions about a text. But for what it’s worth, I’m interested to see how many teens are really crying out for this sort of reading experience: recent research shows teens still value reading for pleasure, no matter the format. And one look at any online Twilight or Hunger Games fan community will tell you that many seem to be just fine with reading first, “sharing” later. Readers, your thoughts?

For more coverage of YA books and publishing, check out the Ypulse Books & Print Channel sponsored by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, publishers of Jane.