I had hoped to avoid addressing the absurd notion of performative reading, but it won’t seem to go away. The phenomenon is another depressing consequence of the decline in reading books as a default activity. Over on TikTok – always words to chill the blood – creators are more likely to be acting out satirical performative reading as catching pointy-headed knobs in the genuine act. A young woman is chastising herself (to be fair) for suspecting a subway rider in Brooklyn of performatively reading Infinite Jest. The young woman on the catering trolley turned out to be of Russian origin.

Source: The Irish Times January 18, 2026 12:46 UTC