Goodreads, as soon as the highest on-line neighborhood for guide lovers, has develop into a narrative of missed alternatives and decline. Since Amazon purchased the platform in 2013, it has confronted criticism for its outdated design, poor moderation, and rising person frustration. Scandals just like the Cait Corrain incident have solely added to its issues, leaving each authors and readers sad with the platform.
Outdated Design and Annoyed Customers
“The beige aesthetic, the clunky interface, the slowness of the search function—all of it looks like a relic of the early web,” mentioned The Walrus. Regardless of being owned by Amazon, Goodreads feels caught up to now. The platform’s five-star score system hasn’t modified, despite the fact that customers need extra choices. Its app can also be buggy and unreliable, irritating readers.
“Goodreads hasn’t been all that properly maintained, or up to date, or stored up with what you’ll count on from social communities or apps in 2023,” mentioned publishing marketing consultant Jane Friedman. For a platform with 125 million customers in 2022, Goodreads’ lack of enchancment is tough to disregard.
Moderation Issues and Scandals
Goodreads’ tradition has develop into an issue. Evaluation-bombing—the place customers flood a guide’s web page with damaging evaluations—is frequent. “Goodreads has enabled the weaponization of displeasure,” mentioned The New York Instances. Authors are sometimes targets of those assaults.
The Cait Corrain scandal reveals how dangerous it has gotten. Corrain, a debut creator, used faux Goodreads accounts to present one-star evaluations to different authors’ books. When caught, she created a faux chat responsible another person, however later confessed to having a “full psychological breakdown.” Her guide was canceled, and her profession is probably going over.
“The dearth of efficient moderation has turned Goodreads right into a battleground,” wrote The Walrus. Even bestselling authors like Elizabeth Gilbert have been harm—her novel The Snow Forest was pulled after it was review-bombed for being set in Russia. Goodreads’ minimal oversight has made these issues worse.
Amazon’s Position in Goodreads’ Decline
Goodreads’ issues are tied to its father or mother firm, Amazon. The platform pushes well-liked titles by means of algorithms, making studying really feel like a chore. “Your ‘to-read’ listing turns into an countless obligation,” famous The Walrus.
Amazon’s repute hasn’t helped. Controversies, like Jeff Bezos halting The Washington Publish’s custom of endorsing presidential candidates, have pissed off readers. Bezos’ reward for Donald Trump after his election win solely added to the backlash in opposition to Goodreads.
Can Options Take Over?
As Goodreads struggles, platforms like The StoryGraph, BookSloth, and Libib are stepping in. These platforms provide trendy options like half-star scores, customized suggestions, and higher neighborhood engagement.
“Letterboxd has succeeded the place Goodreads hasn’t,” mentioned The Walrus, evaluating Goodreads to the favored movie-discussion website. However whereas these alternate options are promising, none have but matched Goodreads’ measurement or affect.
Is Goodreads Price Saving?
Goodreads’ points could seem overwhelming, nevertheless it’s potential to nonetheless proper the ship. All of it begins with folks—bringing in additional human moderators to actively monitor and handle the platform’s exercise. With higher moderation, up to date options, and clearer insurance policies, Goodreads might develop into a a lot better house for everybody concerned.
Regardless of its many flaws, I nonetheless see the worth in what Goodreads represents: a spot the place readers can join and share their love of books. As different social platforms proceed to lose their attraction, that is one price combating for. If Goodreads doesn’t evolve, although, it’s prone to changing into nothing greater than a relic of what it as soon as was.
An avid guide reader and proud library card holder, Angela is new to the world of e-Readers. She has a background in schooling, emergency response, health, likes to be in nature, touring and exploring. With an honours science diploma in anthropology, Angela additionally studied writing after commencement. She has contributed work to The London Free Press, The Gazette, The Londoner, Finest Model Media, Lifeliner, and Citymedia.ca.
