Kara Kennedy

Performative reading—reading partly to signal intelligence or cultural sophistication—is defended as a potentially beneficial social pressure rather than a hollow trend. Dua Lipa’s Service95 book club, author interviews and public reading habits are credited with making books visible to younger audiences, while Instagram’s planned “Current Read” feature may reinforce the trend. The argument is supported by National Literacy Trust figures showing increases in reading for pleasure and daily reading among British children and young people in 2026. Even if reading begins as vanity or social performance, the lasting value lies in actually engaging with books, much as the cultural impact of music ultimately matters more than whether musicians appeared authentic or “cool.”