Online Social Reading Platforms: An Investigation into the Participatory Cultures on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon and Wattpad

From book clubs to digital reading challenges, the development of e-readers and online social reading platforms has altered the composition and traditions of the book and publishing industries. Readers are becoming users and users are becoming producers. In an age of content creation and being digitally native, this study investigates the participatory cultures that are reinforced by online social reading platforms, the ways in which user behaviors change according to different platforms, as well as the dichotomy between offline and online social reading experiences. The platforms in question are Goodreads, Wattpad, LibraryThing and Amazon Books. The study employed a mixed methodology approach as a means of collecting the responses of a larger sample, and the in-depth elaboration of a few online social reading platform users. The distribution of a survey and the conducting of five interviews, led to a collection of quantitative findings and the highlighting of several prominent themes. Information worlds, social worlds, convergence culture and the digital-analogue dichotomy are examples of themes that emerged out of a thematic analysis. Goodreads and Wattpad, being the most popular user-friendly platforms, are sites through which users creatively express themselves, engage with others, exchange information and build relationships with other users. Online social reading platforms not only reinforce but actively create spaces in which users can become participatory and behave according to the various features on offer. Therefore, the platforms fall within the scope of a participatory culture, a culture of convergence, they are information worlds, and they are social worlds. The digital and analogue lead to the development of different types of relationships, both surface-level and more intimate respectively. Digital social reading experiences create variations and uniqueness to discussions, while offline social reading experiences allow for the creation of stronger bonds and deeper deliberation about shared interests.