Lorraine Feugere

Thesis in information et communication

Thesis defended on November 28 , 2019

"Literature isn’t a snobbish thing" : a study of book lovers talking about reading on blogs and BookTube channels under the supervision of Muriel Lefebvre

Abstract

Book lovers, also known as bloggers and booktubers, talk about reading on their blogs and BookTube channels, recommending books and sharing the interests of reading. This work highlihts however that the book lovers we met confuse "reading" and "literature" which is associated with "elitist culture".

That is why this thesis aims to study how some of these book lovers depict reading as something "cool" and "fun", regarding their posts on blogs and videos on BookTube channels. Based on twenty semi-directive interviews, semiotic analyses of blogs and YouTube channels, and observations on three social networking sites, this thesis is focused on book lovers' speeches about depicting reading on blogs and BookTube channels. It also pays close attention to the role of digital devices in the way bloggers and booktubers depict reading on each of them. Thus, this study questions the imaginaries that are depicted about reading and highlights the ambiguous status of "culture" in today society.

Publications