The Potential of YouTube for Promoting Reading among Adolescents: A Case Study
The Potential of YouTube for Promoting Reading among Adolescents: A Case Study

Summary/Abstract: This article presents the results of a media monitoring study of the BookTube community content on the YouTube platform. The research also includes the development of recommendations for stakeholders. Method. The media monitoring of the Ukrainian BookTube was conducted using the social media and online media monitoring and analytics platform powered by artificial intelligence, YouScan. The monitoring period spans from September 2022 to August 2023. In total, 7,866 posts were analyzed, from which 10 cases with the highest engagement levels (likes, comments, reposts, views) during the monitoring period were selected. Results. The study revealed a steady increase in mentions of the hashtag #буктьюб_українською (BookTube in Ukrainian) throughout the observed period, indicating continuous interest and activity within the BookTube community. In the context of the decline in reading literacy levels, as recorded by the PISA-2022 study, the author examines the YouTube platform as a tool for rethinking reading practices. The research is based on the analysis of ten cases representing various aspects of literary content: analytical reviews of works, debates around popular books, author recommendations, and personal library presentations. Conclusions. The results show that YouTube contributes not only to the popularization of literature but also to the development of critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and cognitive skills. The unique opportunity to create long and detailed video formats allows teenagers to engage more deeply with literature, develop analytical abilities, and perceive reading as an emotionally rich and cognitive process. Book bloggers, who act as reading ambassadors, play a role not only as promoters of books but also as trendsetters of contemporary reading culture, motivating teenagers through emotional interaction with texts. The author emphasizes the importance of integrating BookTube content into reading development strategies. This opens prospects for creating partnership programs between educational institutions, libraries, and book bloggers, which will contribute to the development of an interactive ecosystem to support youth reading culture. Therefore, YouTube serves not only as a tool for promoting literature but also as a means of transforming cultural practices and adapting reading to the conditions of the modern digital environment.

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