Spotify has simply launched its 2024 Spotify Wrapped, the music streaming website’s annual presentation of every person’s yearly listening habits.
It offers you a enjoyable recap of your most listened to songs, artists and genres from the previous 12 months – full with stats like what number of minutes you listened and your prime style “phases” or “moments”.
The custom has seized the cultural zeitgeist all through the entire 12 months, with loads of on-line discourse surrounding what music will prime your listens for the 12 months.
Along with the thrilling manner the record is offered (aesthetically pleasing tiles, interactive parts), the reply to its capacity to captivate could also be present in one easy concept: we inherently like understanding ourselves.
However what does this imply? We will unpack this additional within the psychological theories of self-concept, social comparability and social connection.
Self-concept
Self-concept is how we see ourselves. It develops from our experiences and our responses to those experiences.
Music is a kind of distinctive mediums that displays what we’ve skilled (for instance, a break-up) and the way we really feel (disappointment and craving).
So, once we see a yearly record of our prime artists, genres and songs, it’s like wanting right into a mirror that tells us who we’ve been all year long.
This drive in direction of self-reflection is probably going as a result of it fulfils a few of our most elementary human wants. Keep in mind that time when everybody was doing the Myers-Briggs persona take a look at?
In 1943, the American psychologist Abraham Maslow developed his concept of human wants.
Based on this concept, people have a necessity for esteem (gaining respect and recognition inside our communities) and self-actualisation (realisation of 1’s potential). Neither of those can happen with out first an understanding of who we at the moment are. Sharing a listing, then, is a manner of claiming to others, “that is me!”.
However sharing your Wrapped record serves extra features than merely self-expression. It facilitates social comparability and social connection.
Social comparability
In 1954, American social psychologist Leon Festinger printed his social comparability concept.
He believed people are naturally inclined to check themselves to others. We always consider the place we stand in relation to these round us.
Spotify Wrapped
Once you submit your Wrapped record, you aren’t simply saying, “that is what I listened to” or “that is who I’m”. You’re additionally inviting others to interact in a delicate social dialogue.
Seeing another person with the identical music on their record may spark a way of connection. Seeing that you simply’re within the prime 1% of Taylor Swift followers may make you are feeling even slightly superior (and others slightly envious).
(As a facet notice, I hope this occurs to me once more this 12 months.)
Seeing another person’s Wrapped also can encourage and validate. If a buddy’s record contains a mixture of genres you’ve by no means explored, you may really feel inspired to department out. Otherwise you may see another person’s record and really feel relieved you’re not the one one obsessive about an artist.
Whether or not acutely aware or unconscious, these comparisons drive engagement with Spotify.
Social connection
Sharing our Spotify Wrapped satisfies one other elementary human want: belonging.
People are inherently social creatures who wish to really feel cherished and accepted. Music is among the oldest methods we’ve related with each other.
Sharing our Wrapped lists isn’t nearly exhibiting off who we’re, however about discovering widespread floor. It’s about discovering your tribe, a bunch of individuals we are able to really feel safely related to.
That is much more necessary throughout a interval wherein individuals’s opinions have gotten extra divided and for a youthful era the place loneliness is turning into an rising downside.
Constructing by yourself wrap
This urge to find out about your self and to share could be very human.
This 12 months, nevertheless, I problem you to transcend simply dropping a like on somebody’s story.
Positive, the dopamine hit is nice and is a part of what retains us coming again to this yearly ritual. Nevertheless it takes greater than that to satisfy our want for connection.
This 12 months, use Spotify Wrapped to begin up a dialog with somebody. Perhaps about how their experiences and emotions this 12 months led to the songs showing on their record. You may be taught one thing new about them and create or revitalise a significant connection.
And that’s a wrap.
- Kelvin (Shiu Fung) Wong, Senior Lecturer in Medical Psychology, Swinburne College of Expertise
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