The 20 Types of Readers You Meet on Social Media

I follow at least a half dozen Facebook pages catering to people who enjoy reading. Over time, I've come to assign names to certain types of contributors, which I've organized into the following list. 

Some of these are sincere, others more than a touch snarky, but I'm betting anyone who reads the same Facebook pages I do would agree that each of these is an authentic archetypes!

1. The Classicists. Only read classics; can often be found arguing over their favorite Russian writer or discussing the merits of various translations.
2. The Instagrammers. It’s not clear if they actually read books, but they do love posting “shelfies” of their bookstore hauls or current read, often artfully posed next to a trendy mug or witty coffee cup.
3. The Competitors. Rarely miss an opportunity to reference the number of books they own or have read.
4. The Literati. Post in-depth reviews of books fresh from the latest Pulitzer, Booker, or Pen/Faulkner short list that incorporate words like “theme” and “motif.”
5.  The Scholars. Take pleasure in contributing relevant historical context, biographical insights, or academic insights.
6. The Snobs. Eager to share info about their obscure reading choices, which often turn out to be selections from “1001 Things to Read Before You Die”.
7.  The Populists. Ready at any time to discuss their love of serial fiction; will give one star reviews to books with protagonists they didn’t like.
8. The Nit Pickers. Eager for any opportunity to draw attention to printing/grammar errors, flaws in research, or anachronisms.
9. The Cultural Warriors. Post reviews of books that focus on their political or cultural correctness; fond of words such as “offensive” and “woke”.
10. The High School Hypesters. Love the idea of books but haven’t actually read much since high school, which is why their favorite books are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and/or Great Expectations.
11. The Attention Seekers. No qualifications or clarifications, just “What book should I read next?” or “Share your list of 20 books everyone should read!”
12. The Instigators. Enjoy stirring the pot with reading-adjacent posts like “Is it okay to write in books?” “Best movie adaptation of a novel?” or “Kindle or paper?”
13. The Emos. The books they recommend will have titles that you never heard of, cover art that looks like it was drawn by a middle schooler, and typos. Big fans of steam punk, fantasy, fan fiction, alternative histories, and video game serializations.
14. The Bandwagons. Spamming the chat with such meaningful insights as “I loved it!” or “DNF”
15. The Misers. Respond to requests for book recommendations with a title and maybe an author, but zero info about the book itself or why it’s worthy of recommendation.
16. The Hit-and-Runs.  Offer a provocative/controversial opinion, then disable comments so no one can respond.
17. The Listophiles. Love making and sharing book-related lists. (Yes, like this one …. I’m owning it.)
18. The Deplorables. Posting comments that inadvertently reveal that they’ve not actually read the book they’re commenting on. (Ex: “Last of the Mohicans” was such a great book – so romantic!”)
19. The Students. Post weirdly specific requests (ex: “How do you think Hawthorne employs symbolism in A Scarlet Letter?”), apparently in hopes of soliciting answers for upcoming essays or tests. 
20. The Writers. Will inevitably find a way to turn any chat into an opportunity to discuss their own writer’s journey or share extracts of their own writing/poetry.