For the past decade, Spotify has been treating its users to their own musical retrospective of the year. This ritual is eagerly awaited among many music lovers, who see it as an opportunity to learn more about their own and other people’s tastes in music. But for some, it’s become a source of anxiety.
“This is possibly the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to me,” writes Megan, who goes by the handle @neckdeepslive on X. This phrase accompanies a screenshot of her Spotify Wrapped, featuring five tracks from the soundtrack of the “Wonka” movie.
On Wednesday, millions of users discovered a personalised rundown of the music, artistes and podcasts they listened to most on Spotify in 2024. And every year, it’s the same story: some congratulate themselves on being part of the “0.0001% of listeners” who listen the most to a particular artiste, while others feel a certain shame at discovering their true musical preferences.
Indeed, our musical tastes say a lot about who we really are. In research published in 2022 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Cambridge University scientists claim that musical tastes unite people with common personality traits, whatever their origin, language, culture or place of residence.
Extroverts are more attracted to positive, upbeat, danceable contemporary music, while curious and open-minded individuals supposedly prefer more complex melodies, whether jazz, classical compositions or classic rock.
Of course, these are general trends, and everyone uses music in their own way.
Fear of judgement
But some people are apprehensive about publicly revealing what music they listen to – a feeling referred to as “Spotify Wrapped anxiety”.
“Some listeners may feel that their taste in music or musical choices may be up for judgement from those who see them in a completely different light, which can be a source of anxiety,” psychologist Dina El Adlani told Stylist magazine in 2021.
This stems from the fact that some types of music are more open to criticism than others. For example, so-called mainstream pop is often perceived as being of lower quality than independent music. However, the success of Taylor Swift, an emblematic figure of the genre, proves the contrary.
Still, by sharing your musical retrospective of the year on social networks, you run the risk of exposing yourself to stigma or shame if your preferences are not socially acceptable. Some internet users choose to laugh it off, poking fun at their supposed “bad taste” in music.
“Guys, I’m not able to take a screenshot of my Spotify Wrapped, but it’s full of super niche underground alt critically acclaimed artists that none of you have probably ever heard of, I pinky promise,” posted Anoushka, aka @addera11ange1, on X.
While many will agree that this ranking is indicative of their music listening habits, it’s important to remember it’s also the result of algorithms and how they work. Spotify relies on our listening time to determine our musical tastes, assuming we listen most often to what we like best – which isn’t always the case.
So it’s best to take Spotify Wrapped with a grain of salt: it reveals your preferences, yes, but with conditions at play – and only for the past 12 months.