“Our social life is governed by algorithm and protocol” (Seymour, 2019, p.14)
When I first read the quote above, I thought of Spotify, in particular, Spotify Wrapped. I thought about how the way we listen to music has changed dramatically through algorithms on these platforms.
Platforms are an efficient way to extract, analyse, and monopolise increasingly large amounts of data. Therefore, algorithms on these social media platforms use the data of who we listen to and for how long to uniquely tailor playlists like Spotify’s Discover Weekly and Release Radar to users. We routinely underestimate the influence of platform design on our behaviours and decisions and its monetization to 3rd parties. Therefore, our listening life is deeply influenced by algorithms and protocol as Seymour (2019)’s quote suggests.
The quote also highlights the phenomena in which users post their Spotify Wrapped on other platforms like Instagram. Meikle (2016) suggests that “sharing online can be the performance of versions of oneself,
as we display our tastes and opinions for others,
circulate things we find meaningful,
or curate public collections of music or images that matter to us” (p. 26).
In the context of Spotify, we share and circulate the aesthetic presentations of our music because we find it meaningful and believe it reveals an aspect of our taste and personality. There is a sense of inclusion in the community and a sense of uniqueness and individuality that is evoked through Spotify Wrapped.
Although there is a feeling of endless choice and discovery on these platforms, this freedom is limited by the algorithmic nature of the user interface. Therefore, as food for thought ~ how unique are our tastes and style and is there any way to separate our music tastes from what the algorithm is feeding us?
___
This is 𝒚⚬𝒖𝒓 sign, to go design a planet. !
Take extra good care of yourself this season <3
ʕʘ‿ʘʔ designaplanet .
Bibliography:
Seymour, Richard. ‘Foreword & One: We Are All Connected’. In The Twittering Machine, 10–31. London: Indigo Press, 2019.
Meikle, Graham. Social Media: Communication, Sharing and Visibility. New York: Routledge, 2016. http://cat.lib.unimelb.edu.au/record=b7389412~S30