It’s that time of year again: Spotify Wrapped has come and gone, signaling the end of 2022. Generated by Spotify every year since 2016, these colorful slides took Instagram feeds by storm last week, showcasing users’ personalized Spotify statistics from the past year, from their total minutes of listening to their favorite genres.
But what gives Spotify Wrapped a coveted spot among holiday staples? What makes it such a viral phenomenon every year? And why do you pretend you don’t care about my Spotify Wrapped?
Some enjoy Spotify Wrapped as a way to reflect on how their music taste evolved over the course of the year. “You can see how new releases and your own classics have changed your listening habits,” said Nick Lopez ’25.
Others like to see their listening habits represented visually, through succinct compilations of their top artists, songs, and genres. “As someone who listens to many types of music, it is interesting seeing how they compare in an easily digestible way,” said Elliot Chin ’25.
But the real answer to the question of why Spotify Wrapped is so popular is that it has turned into a competition—and people like to win. In posting your listening data on social media, you’re competing for the “most hipster taste” award, “biggest Mitski stan” award, or “listening to podcasts makes me special” award. Whether you realize it or not, your Spotify Wrapped lets everyone know you did Spotify better than them.
And there’s nothing wrong with that. By all means, let everyone know you were in the top 0.05% of Mitski listeners this year, or that you spent 6½ hours a day listening to music. But there is something wrong with pretending you don’t care about anybody else’s Spotify Wrapped. If you care enough to post your Spotify statistics, to put in your entry for one of those awards, you care enough to scope out your competition. If you’re playing to win, you’re making absolutely sure that you win.
It’s the same type of competitiveness that makes people grill you when you say you’re a fan of Metallica: “Oh yeah? Name 5 Metallica songs.” It’s the same type of competitiveness that makes you want to be the one to show your friend drill music. There’s a sense of pride that comes with saying, “I’m a real Metallica fan,” or “I showed you drill.”
You also gain some legitimacy when you “win” at music. It’s like anything else in life: if you demonstrate your expertise in something, people will respect your opinion on that topic. If you’re listening to more music than everyone else, and you can prove it (maybe by posting your Spotify Wrapped), people will respect your takes on music.
“People listen in general because they want their minutes to be higher than others, all for social clout that doesn’t actually exist, but exists to those they try to get clout from,” said Brent Smith ’25. But social clout is like money: it only exists if people assign value to it. In this case, musical social clout has been assigned value as a measure of one’s musical expertise. And if you’re trying to prove your legitimacy as a connoisseur of music, chances are you’re combing through every Spotify Wrapped you see on Instagram to see if anyone has more music cred than you.
On the other hand, posting your music stats can create a sense of community. Discovering that your classmate also listens to Mitski might provoke conversation, or at least some sort of unspoken bond—not competition. My top genre this year was hyperpop, so if I someone else has a hyperpop song in their top tracks, I know how to start our next conversation. But I still can’t deny that I hope I know more about hyperpop than they do.
In the end, Spotify Wrapped is just a way for us to get in one last win before the beatdown of finals and the grueling family time spent during winter break. Let’s not pretend it’s anything other than measuring the musical tastes of your social circle against your own and convincing yourself of your superiority. This makes sense, given that many of the students who end up at Harvard are of the hyper-competitive variety. It’s about being able to describe yourself using the words “first,” “best,” and “most.” It’s about making sure no one else knows music better than you do, and making sure you get your respect.
But at the same time that we acknowledge what Spotify Wrapped has become, let’s each take time to consider how we can phase out the competitive nature of sharing our musical interests and do just that—share. Music shouldn’t be treated as territory to be fought over; it is art to be appreciated and build community.
Matt Sakiyama ’25 (msakiyama@college.harvard.edu) is listening to better music than you.