Spotify‘s ‘Wrapped‘ Reflects a broader Shift: Identity Over ideology in the 21st Century
MADRID – Spotify’s annual “Wrapped” feature, a personalized recap of users’ listening habits, has become a cultural phenomenon. But beyond the sharing of top artists and songs, the practice reveals a deeper societal trend: the increasing prioritization of performing identity over genuine self-reflection, a shift with significant political implications, according to a recent analysis.
The article argues that Spotify’s Wrapped doesn’t reveal who a person is – their empathy, happiness, or moral character – but rather offers confirmation of who they present themselves to be. The platform provides a readily shareable narrative, allowing users to publicly demonstrate the identity they aspire to, exemplified by a hypothetical user’s top artists: Nation of Language, Safe Mind, La Roux, Garbage, and Jade.
This trend,the analysis contends,is not limited to music streaming. It mirrors a broader political realignment where parties are increasingly focused on selling identities rather than ideas. A recent piece by Steven Levitsky in El País suggests the new political axis isn’t left versus right, but rather cosmopolitan versus ethnonationalist. This shift is particularly evident on the right, where, as exemplified by claims made by a Trump campaign official, rhetoric focuses on constructing an “us versus them” dynamic – even resorting to unsubstantiated claims, such as the assertion that migrants “eat pets.”
The article contrasts this with the left’s continued emphasis on equality, a concept deemed rhetorically ineffective in building strong affiliations. While morally sound, equality doesn’t foster the sense of distinctiveness and superiority that drives loyalty, whether among fans, customers, or voters.
The author posits that the modern construction of identity is increasingly public, validated by metrics like likes and shares, or through symbolic political statements.This means votes are secured not necessarily through shared convictions, but through the promise of belonging to a specific identity - “being more Spanish than the rest,” for example.
The piece also notes a seeming contradiction: even as spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests $700 million in the arms industry, the platform’s algorithm offers users a comforting illusion of self-discovery, effectively “taking 20 years off” their perceived “musical age.” This, the author suggests, is a powerful draw that few can resist, highlighting the allure of externally validated self-perception.
