Thank you book Twitter – you are so much nicer than Netflix Twitter

I got a new tattoo this week, and one of the things that came up with the man I’d trusted to ink my shoulder was how Netflix has changed the ways we talk about what we love. Before streaming came along, interests seemed to be more varied; now people mainly talk about which show they streamed the night before. But it has to be what everyone’s watching. I remember once trying, and desperately failing, to engage my friends and Twitter followers about a Netflix show they’d seen two weeks prior. I was late to the party: they barely replied.

Recently, having finally found the fortitude to read the Women’s prize-winning An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, I took to Twitter to wax lyrical about it. This time, dozens of people piled in with likes, retweets and story-sharing. People were sending me quotes, telling me how much they cried, friends were begging me to listen to the audiobook. It was non-stop. Book Twitter is so nice; Netflix Twitter, on the other hand, puts out spoilers before I can even finish an episode. I had to remove the app so I could get through series two of You. So thank you, book Twitter, for being so patient and spoiler free. Netflix Twitter, go read a book.