Every time I come across a photo on Instagram with books on fire, a part of my soul dies. To be clear, it’s not the same as when I cringe at dogeared pages, cry at tea spilled on a book or broken spines. It goes beyond that. Burning books isn’t simply about what one does with their personal belongings — it’s about the symbolism behind it, the historical and cultural implications, and so much more.

Over the years I’ve come across more than a handful of people who wanted to join bookstagram but didn’t. Why? Lack of props. Whenever I hear this reason, I’m sad because this means one less voice in the bookstagram community. The primary topic of conversation is books. Props are just that — props. Sometimes they’re the focus but most of the time they aren’t. This means that ultimately, props are not required.

One frustrating thing about bookstagram is copyright infringement. This happens when someone else reposts an image without permission from the photographer or illustrator. To be clear, crediting the content producer doesn’t absolve anyone of violating copyright. The point of contention is permission.

One aspect of bookstagram that cannot be ignored and that is rarely talked about is consumerism. For better or for worse, bookstagram promotes consumerist attitudes. I think this is something we need to acknowledge, and perhaps be wary of but not malign.