The Ascent of Spotify Wrapped and Its Imitators: “Bragging Without the Selfie”

Each December, Instagram feeds are filled with images of Christmas trees, photos from holiday work gatherings, and screenshots showcasing individuals’ most-streamed songs of the year. This phenomenon occurs because Spotify has, since 2016, launched its Wrapped feature annually at the close of each year. This initiative compiles users’ most frequent listening habits, typically featuring their top songs, artists, and genres. According to Dr Gillian Brooks, a senior lecturer in strategic marketing at King’s College London, it is currently “plastered across every possible social media platform known to man.” She attributes the success of the Wrapped feature to the personal nature of music and the enjoyment users derive from the nostalgia of reviewing the songs that defined their year. Given Wrapped’s yearly viral success, other companies have adopted similar approaches, including the language learning application Duolingo and the bank Monzo. These entities, along with other music streaming services like Apple Music and Amazon Music, now produce their own customized “year in review” summaries. Prof Jonathan Wilson, a professor of brand strategy and culture at Regent’s University London, suggests an underlying reason for individuals sharing these year-end summaries, particularly on applications used to monitor commendable activities such as fitness and education. He clarifies, “It’s like bragging but without the selfie.” He adds, “Lots of people don’t want to take selfies for various reasons but one of them is that people feel a bit cringe, that it’s a bit narcissistic.” He states that individuals share information on social media when it “enhances the image we wish to portray publicly of who we are and what we want to align ourselves with.” Applications such as Strava calculate the distance users have run or cycled during the year, while Duolingo reports the hours dedicated to learning a new language. Goodreads offers shareable images for social media, illustrating the books read throughout the year, complete with average page length and preferred genres. Prof Wilson further notes, “Data is a really good way to humblebrag, as opposed to actually taking selfies in all of your best clothes surrounded by all of your best people and belongings.” Prof Caroline Wiertz, a professor in marketing at City, University of London, concurs, stating, “It’s less like bragging and a bit more evidence-based.” “This is a thing now in the calendar,” Prof Wiertz remarks. “We wait for the John Lewis Christmas ad, we also wait to receive our Spotify Wrapped.” Other brands that have adopted this trend include Tesco and Sainsbury’s for preferred groceries, Trainline and Uber for most common journeys, Monzo and Lloyds for spending patterns, and Xbox and Nintendo for gaming activities. Prof Wilson informed the BBC that this imitative behavior was unavoidable, as the potential for individuals to promote a company or product presents an opportunity too valuable to overlook. As Dr Brooks states: “It’s free advertising for them.” Experts indicate that some year-in-review features incorporate a more humorous tone, which brands anticipate will enhance their relatability and shareability among customers. While individuals generally refrain from sharing financial details on social media, Monzo has devised a method to make its year-in-review shareable by informing users if they are among the highest spenders at Greggs. Reddit informs users of their scrolling distance, quantified in bananas. Furthermore, despite Prof Wilson’s observation that people generally prefer not to post ordinary details on social media, such as “which kind of bread roll they bought,” Sainsbury’s reveals to shoppers if they were the leading purchasers of specific items in their local vicinity. This has resulted in individuals publicly boasting about being the primary consumer of paprika, toilet cleaner, or pickled gherkins. Year-in-review features also prompt inquiries into the extent of data collection by companies. It is broadly recognized that most applications and websites an individual uses gather extensive amounts of data, which is then utilized for marketing objectives. Dr Brooks posits that “people blindly accept privacy preferences online” due to their desire to proceed with their intended activity on a website. She states that data privacy is “not as huge of an issue as it used to be.” She adds, “If we get more targeted adverts as a result, most people I’ve spoken to are okay with that.” While individuals generally prefer to maintain privacy regarding certain personal information, they appear to have minimal reservations about sharing their hobbies and recreational pursuits online. Prof Wilson observes, “Paradoxically, when you share a selfie you are sharing far less information about yourself than you do with data showing what you do.” He concludes, “People seem more comfortable with doing that than sharing a picture of themselves.”