“I Keep Getting TT Duds”: Examining Sponsorscapes Using Algorithmically Driven Reading Recommendations on #BookTok and Webtoons

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Diverse Qualitative Approaches to Readers' and Teachers'/Candidates' Text Engagement (Table 2)

Abstract

This presentation examines two digital spaces for consuming texts: Webtoons and #BookTok. These spaces both offer rich examples of 1) ways digital texts (multimodal videos about books and digital comics) can be accessed and 2) configurations of sponsorship for various texts, with some forces visible and others harder to see. Due to recent trends of intentional platform “enshitification” by corporations intending to turn profits, sponsoring roles are becoming more prominent and influential in digital reading communities. This paper explores the following research question across the platforms TikTok and Webtoons with a focus on the popular and profitable genre of romance: Who profits from the sponsorscapes’ influence and how does this profit impact a user’s experience within the platform ecology?

Authors

• Karis Michelle Jones, Baylor University

• Sarah E. Jerasa, Clemson University