Hey, You Should Be Reading This!

What I Intend to Create

I will be designing an Instagram based around books and recommending through the web space what people should read and why. I want to create a space that people find comfortable to visit and start conversations. The intention for this space is to venture into a bookselling website in which I send members books each month based on a personality quiz. I then want to take my business into the retail space, creating a blind date with a book business, pitching this to outlets around the South Coast and Highlands. People will find a wrapped book with hints at a local café, purchase this and find a read without judging the book by its cover!

Consider the DA methodology

I have started the process of making by creating my Instagram account, logo and name. I’m promoting this on my Instagram account through the use of hashtags such as #bookstagram to attract the specific audience of 16-30 year old female readers. I have also implemented my style and will continue to do so throughout my posts. I will utilise my background in social media to take aesthetic pictures of my books and I’ll conduct a questionnaire amongst my peers to gain feedback on specifically what they would like to see, targeting this questionnaire to my users so that valuable feedback is gained.

Background Research and Lecture References

The biggest thing any online creator can take is advice from people who have an established place. ‘The Uncorked Librarian’ (2021) suggests finding a niche. I channeled this advice to narrow down my account to adult fiction and #memoirmondays as this is where my knowledge lies. According to Novotna (2021) “bookstagrammers are a new asset in promotion repertoire which help publisher spread a good word about books”. I want to incorporate marketing into my bookstagram account to hopefully in the future work with brands to promote their stories and products.

I find the task of predicting the future of work and media highly valuable. According to Wendell Bell (Moore, 2021) and a quote I have used as inspiration for my DA is “people seek the knowledge and wisdom to speak for the well-being of future generations”. This is what I am attempting to do through social media and finding a niche that will be long lasting. “It is through movies, books, and even our Instagram posts, that we imagine what life could be like” (Moore, 2021). I want to combine the use of the 21st centuries most popular app with the pasts most utilised source of knowledge, reading, to enhance online communities and connect us in different ways into the next 50 years.

Public Utility and DA Challenge

The book space continues to grow with the evolution of Bookstagram. People are seeking out likeminded people who love to read to find connections. My account will provide people who weren’t confident talking about their passions, a space to unload and talk about what they love. I wish to take the present reality of Bookstagram and create an imagined reality through my own lens. I intend to utilise feedback loops regularly throughout this process as the audience knows what they want to see and communication is key. I must evolve with the times to acknowledge the futures role in my project. I have also provided diagrams of what my iteration ideology looks like.

References:

Moore, C 2021, ‘Trajectories and Planning ’, YouTube, BCM325, University of Wollongong, viewed 15 March 2021

Novotna, A 2021, ‘Lessons Learned from Bookstagrammers for Library Promotion and Promotion of Readership: Qualitative Study’, University of Nebraska Journal, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 157-178

Uncorked Librarian 2021, How To Start A Bookstagram For Beginners That Shines, viewed 15 March 2022, https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/how-to-start-a-bookstagram/