There’s a slight irony when TikTokkers post about ways to put your phone down – but that’s where we currently find ourselves, thanks to the increasingly popular ‘disgustingly educated’ trend.
For those not in the know (where have you been?), being ‘disgustingly educated’ is a way to expand your cultural knowledge by reading classic literature and non-fiction essays, as well as watching old films and exploring philosophy and art.
The key, they say, is keen curiosity rather than on old-school academia.
And TikTok is full of people ready to share their own take on the trend, with hundreds of posts telling followers which books to read and why.
Creator Catherine Smith (@catherinejuliasmith) is one of them. A post she shared recently about the books she’d read attracted 710,000 views in just one week, with her reccommendations ranging from philosophical deep-dives about love to motivating self-help guides, which she believes helped develop her emotional intelligence.
Catherine tells Metro that she chose to become ‘disgustingly educated’ after getting fed up of her ‘phone addiction’.
‘It’s really improved my attention span, as well as my vocabulary, critical thinking, and knowledge on philosophy,’ she tells Metro. ‘It also helps me wind down, especially in the evenings.’
And having reaped the benefits, Catherine’s now keenly posting her wisdom on TikTok.
‘I create anything that helps people become better educated, more well-rounded, and spend less time on their screens. So I’m branching out into teaching people about articles on Substack, or journaling as well,’ she adds.
‘Another content idea which I want to bring up soon is maintaining my long distance friendships through letters, instead of always texting. That’s something I think is another great way we can spend less time online and have deeper and richer emotional connections with our friends.
‘I think it’s really good for us as humans to spend more time in the real world connecting with each other because I think communication and connection in itself is almost becoming a lost skill.’
Indeed, social media has seen an increase in posts helping users combat their excessive screen time – with videos offering top tips on how to cut down.
Just like Catherine, many online users are deciding to go ‘analog’ – marking a shift from 24/7 ‘always on’ culture towards physical media like letters, iPods, and digital cameras.
However, for those becoming ‘disgustingly educated’, it is not just about swapping out a mobile phone – it is an entire rethinking of the content they choose to consume.
For 22-year-old Catherine, this means reading books from 1890 – a ‘challenge’ she’s really enjoyed.
‘My favourite thing I’ve read is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I really, really love that book. I thought it was so witty and smart, and has so many interesting themes which we can apply to modern day life.’
However, like any TikTok trend, it isn’t without backlash. Some social media critics have declared it: ‘performative’, adding that it’s more about ‘what reading looks like, rather than the reading itself.’
One commentator wrote under a post that has received nearly half a million likes: ‘Why are we making education an aesthetic? All the people on this trend share the same style and interests.’
Others argued that it is harmful because it narrows down what makes you ‘educated’ to the handful of books and movies a bunch of influencers have recommended.
TikTokker @romcomsqueen asked those who try to be ‘disgustingly educated’: ‘Are you finding any cultural artifacts you actually enjoy? Or are you reliant on the recommendations that the algorithm hands to you?’
However, Catherine holds a wider view of what being ‘disgustingly educated’ means.
‘The term shouldn’t be used as something that makes you elite, and it doesn’t say that if you read certain books, then you’ll achieve a certain status,’ she explains.
‘It should be more of a journey you take yourself on. It’s kind of a lifelong commitment to learning and educating yourself.’
It’s no surprise that being ‘disgustingly educated’ stems from BookTok – TikTok’s huge community of readers – a movement that has had a direct impact on the way today’s literature is written, according to research.
A recent study found that ‘#BookTok bestsellers’ reflect a simpler, faster-paced style, where complex sentences make up just 1% of the book because of modern audiences’ decreasing attention spans.
However, Chris Banks, founder and CEO of ProWritingAid which carried out the findings, feels this is a passing trend.
‘Attention is the new gatekeeper of publishing, and authors are writing accordingly,’ he tells Metro. ‘But, as we tire of dopamine-driven distraction, will the next literary wave belong to those who are brave enough to slow us down?’
For the timebeing, Chris has nothing but praise for people who also choose to be ‘disgustingly educated’.
‘The trend is encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone and choose books that they wouldn’t normally choose,’ he explains. ‘Anyone can download a classic, and that is incredibly equalising.’
Chris adds that it can also help open up ‘new perspectives’, which he has found beneficial in the workplace too. ‘Reading Cherly Sandberg gave me insight to women’s perspective in tech. It was interesting to see how gender roles show up in meetings – I wouldn’t have got this any other way.’
So, whether being ‘disgustingly educated’ helps readers try new things, or is actually a close-minded outlook on what being well read means, it has certainly got people talking.
Bbut can it really stop people scrolling? Well, that’s just something you have to find out for yourself.
