Author:

Juliette Parmentier | Centre de Recherche en Information et Communication (ReSIC) and Namur Digital Institute (NADI)

DOI: 10.4000/15boa

Abstract

Despite the extensive body of work on the pervasiveness of quantification in Western societies, very few studies have examined the effects of translating cultural practices into numbers on individuals. In order to identify the specific features of quantification when applied to an activity that is as socially valued —and even sacralized —as literary practices, we conducted 31 semi-structured interviews with readers who regularly produce or consult literary content on Babelio, Livraddict, or Instagram —three digital platforms that share a common characteristic: their interfaces prominently display a multitude of quantified artifacts, such counters, statistics, rankings, percentages, graphs, ratings, etc. Our goal is to highlight how what we term “cultures of quantification” foster an inflation of literary practices and a managerial relationship with the reader. However, unlike other forms of tracking, the quantification of literary practices does not simply mean maximizing metrics: a good reader reads more, and regularly, but not too much —otherwise it would be seen as an inappropriate, competitive, or consumerist relationship with literature. In short, we aim to show how the quantification of literary practices fosters often contradictory discourses and behaviours, pushing readers to increase their metrics while expressing indifference toward them, inviting them to read faster while adopting an ascetic stance, and to reaffirm the primacy of reading pleasure while borrowing the competitive ethos and managerial grammar of neoliberal enterprise.