By: Maddie O’Connell

Spotify Wrapped swept through the nation on Wednesday, December 3rd, connecting millions of listeners to their own music taste and to the music tastes of others. Spotify Wrapped is an annual summary that the app sends to all users and it includes highlights such as their top 5 artists, top 5 songs, minutes spent listening on the app, and their top genre for the year. These general stats allow users to reflect on their listening habits which often correlate to different points in their lives. It allows people to remember each season of life, each important event, every change, and every memory that is related to a certain genre of music. Many people around the world take to social media to share this information, making Spotify Wrapped a global “holiday” as many people refer to it online. Social media feeds become flooded with colorful graphics and music artists. Users can connect with other people that share a music taste. This connection is particularly among younger generations, who view music as a way to bond with others. Anyone who's ever bonded over a shared love of a song, the feeling of showing a friend a new playlist, or the joy of blasting music on a long car ride together may understand this feeling. Music is connected to the mind and the soul and throughout history it's been a way to forge connections. The love of music is a collective experience but the joys of Spotify Wrapped are entirely personal. All peoples’ Spotify Wrapped are different and reflect the unique nature of each individual.

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Spotify Wrapped also includes a “listening personality” and although the categories may feel a little eccentric, they accurately reflect the distinctiveness of each user's music taste. Listening personalities included phrases like “club serotonin,” “soft hearts,” and “cloud state,” which to some may seem like meaningless phrases, to many they reflect personality. Many people feel tied to their music taste, using music as a way of self expression or to process thoughts. It is this concept that makes Spotify Wrapped so popular - human psychological behavior creates a connectedness to their personality and identity. In simple terms, people like to see themselves reflected in data. Many people find it satisfying to see their whole year wrapped up in a single page where they can reflect on changes over the years or changed within a year. People are ever changing and with them, their music tastes. People enjoy seeing that validation within their Spotify Wrapped. For many people inclined to share, Spotify Wrapped gives an opportunity to turn private habits into public identity. 

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While Spotify Wrapped is deeply personal, there are still many parts of it that are connected to public life. First and foremost, Spotify Wrapped is designed to be shared, the bright graphics and concise data is all summarized into a one page post that can be shared at the touch of a button. The sharing of Spotify Wrapped sparks nationwide engagement, which is exactly the intent of the Spotify marketing team. Spotify Wrapped is essentially free marketing for the company because users are doing the sharing. Their brand name is spread around the world on this musical “holiday” which in itself builds engagement. 

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However, more impactful is the desire it sparks to join the “bandwagon”. Many non-users may feel left out online or in social environments because they don’t have a way to share, this feeling will lead many to download the app so they can feel connected among their peers. Having a platform such as Wrapped also encourages users to stay loyal to the app because they are drawn to achieving statistics. A person may use the app more to boost their streaming hours which builds profit for the company. This marketing strategy seems so discrete many don’t even realize it’s happening, they are simply drawn into the appeal of musical identity and social connectedness. This strategy is what makes Spotify a top performer in the streaming apps industry, beloved by users.

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Spotify Wrapped is not just data, it is culture. It’s a way for people around the world to connect. It’s a way for a brand to build publicity and gain users. It’s a way for people to reflect on their lives and their identity. It’s a way to blend music into pop culture. Spotify Wrapped shapes how we view ourselves and the world around us. Spotify Wrapped has become a fondly anticipated event that represents music taste and personality identification and fosters connections reflective of our current society and connectedness to media and entertainment.