Bookclub Social: A Reader's Guide to Online Book Clubs

Since the inception of the internet, millions of book lovers have taken to social media to connect with other readers. Availability and ease of the internet and the proliferation of online book clubs makes it possible for a reader to participate in or host a book club anytime, anywhere. This left us how do virtual communities unite readers, foster friendships, and promote civil discourse in book clubs? When we began exploring online book clubs, the sheer number of groups was astonishing. With some clubs' memberships numbering in the thousands, we were often overwhelmed by the diversity and the volume of opinions posted daily regarding a book. After a few weeks, we had a hard time keeping up with each club's everyday banter. And in the absence of physical boundaries, online book clubs have evolved into large global communities with rules, norms, and rites of passage governing conversation and behavior. As trained social scientists, we saw limitless possibilities of applying anthropological methodology in order to understand the complex world of online reading communities. Over two years, we targeted online book clubs across multiple social media sites. We surveyed and interviewed almost 1,000 individuals from over forty different countries and six continents. We participated and lurked in several genre-focused online book erotica, horror, fiction, romance, mystery/thriller, classics, and science fiction. Bookclub Social is our guide to making the most of your online book club experience, whether the club has a dozen or 100,000 members.