Book Communities on Social Media and Self-Reported Reading Engagement Among Russian-Speaking Readers: An Exploratory Survey

Aim. To examine how participation in social media book communities is related to self-reported reading engagement among Russian-speaking readers. Methods. An anonymous online questionnaire (n = 200; 12 August–12 October 2026) and three short interviews. Results. After they began following communities, 82% of respondents (95% CI 76–87%) reported reading more, and 91.5% named a book they had read on a community’s recommendation. Perceived community influence was higher among those who reported a stronger increase in reading (Spearman’s ρ = 0.43) and, at the border of significance, among those who comment often (70% vs. 52% rating influence 4–5); it did not differ appreciably by age. In open-ended answers, communities were described more often as a way to find books and authors than as a source of motivation. Conclusions. The data are consistent with book communities being associated with increased reading and helping above all in choosing books. Because the measures are self-reported, respondents were recruited through book channels, and there is no comparison group, the data do not establish a causal relationship.All analyses are exploratory