Following the Hype | Chat with JBelkBooks

I am really in the mood for some ice cream and hot chocolate.  Hello, friends! Today I am BACK with another Discussion Post to chat about Following the Hype. 

So some of you may be asking, “what is this sorcery called “HYPE”?” Well, in long terms short, it’s expressing extreme promotion or exaggeration towards a topic or idea. But in this case, I am talking about Book-ish Hype — reading the same books everyone else is, following only the ‘BEST’ blogs, etc. If you are Following the Hype, you may often find yourself asking, “Is everyone else doing this?” or “How would other people feel if I posted/read this?” And yes, it is sometimes challenging to give in to what others think or do. EVERYONE, at some point, wants to “fit in” and contribute to the commotion that goes around because being left out sucks. But is Following the Hype a positive or negative thing to uphold?

Let’s break it down, friends, with the Pros & Cons (of course, in my opinion):

PROS

• You are always aware of what people are referring to. I say this especially in regards to social media because everyone on Twitter (specifically) usually makes references or “inside jokes” that relate to the newest books or authors. You’ll most likely understand what they are talking about which is pretty helpful in my opinion.
• You are up-to-date on releases. Again, this ties in with the first bullet about knowing what others are talking about. If you didn’t read that newest release that everyone is raving about, you have nothing to say about it. Which also leads to my next bullet…
• You will have something to contribute in a conversation. Since you read the book or you know about the author, you can talk with others about it. If you go to a bookish event, you know what you are talking about and you’ll probably have a better time.
• You can make your own comments or opinions about the author/book. Going off of what other’s opinions probably won’t suit you well, so by reading the novel yourself, you’ll be able to understand what others are speaking of and see if you ultimately agree. I always love a good debate, lol.

OVERALL: You won’t feel left out & you’ll have a front row ticket onto the hype train, lol!

CONS

• EVERYONE IS READING THE SAME THING AND THEREFORE PROBABLY POSTING THE SAME REVIEWS!! This is probably the main reason why I prefer not to Follow the Hype. I don’t know about you guys, but seeing the same reviews on my feed is sometimes overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, more opinions the better. But not when they are all saying the same things… I don’t know, this one varies.
• There is no variety. In regards to blogs, I like to see more than Young Adult reviews. Again, this may be just a preference point of view.
• You may come off as biased ESPECIALLY if you are “friends” with the author or something of that sort. Some people know how to cover up their biasedness, and others don’t. Repeating the same concept as others can get repetitive and people may start to realize that what you are saying may just be because everyone else is voicing the same thing — again & AGAIN, preference and personality are key.

OVERALL: You/your blog may be viewed differently & the level of uniqueness is kind of ‘eh’.

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That’s actually all I can think of, lol. But anyways, so what’s your verdict? I personally believe that even though I don’t have a lot of Cons listed, that the Pros and Cons are 50/50. I think this subject is based off of pure opinion and personal preferences. Just because you Follow the Hype it doesn’t mean that you are dishonest or something like that. But on the other hand, it is the same for if you DON’T Follow the Hype — reading the same novels, following the same blogs, etc. doesn’t mean that your blog is less worthy or that what you are reading is invalid. Variety and uniqueness is very important to me when I come across blogs, so that’s my main purpose for not completely Following the Hype.

However, there is nothing wrong with being on either side, but like I said there are downfalls to both. I think that I am mostly in the “middle” because I like to read what others are reading just to see what I think about it and to express my own opinions. But I also like to read outside my comfort zone, find other blogs that don’t just post YA reviews, and just being different in general. I do confess that sometimes I do question what I’m reading because I don’t know if anyone will be interested in my review, but then I question myself again because WHO CARES what others think?? Your blog is for YOU, so post what you want to post and read what you want to read.

Overall, this is my message in the words of Haruki Murakami — I could not have said it better than this:

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I could go on and on about this topic because it is sort of vague, but NOW I WANT TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS! What is your definition of Following the Hype? Do you hop on the Hype Train when it comes? How do you feel about those who DON’T read the newest releases? Chat with me down below in the comments!!

Thanks for reading & I’ll see you next time…