Pseudo-Individualization through Spotify

 The second I read about pseudo-individualization, I knew I wanted it to be the topic of my blog this week. There are countless examples of this occurring in modern culture, and possibly some that are more complex and interesting, but the first thing I thought of was Spotify. I am sure there are other music streaming platforms that have similar features, but as a Spotify user I will stick to what I know.

I have struggled recently in trying to find new music to listen to because Spotify knows what I already like. There is an infinite number of playlists on the app, but the ones that it generates for me are all the same. If someone recommends a new artist to me, I might go to their artist page and listen to the “radio” associated with them. The point of the Spotify artist radio stations is to play music from the specific artist with music that is similar to theirs in between. However, it has seemed to me that there is another variable included when generating these. In my listening, it has appeared that Spotify, instead of just finding music similar to the artist, also tries to find music I have already listened to that might be similar to them, and finds any intersection between them and what I like. This may not seem like a problem, but if I’m listening to that playlist, I want stuff akin to the artist, not songs I’ve played a thousand times with a few songs by that artist sprinkled in.

The radio playlists are just one way Spotify does this. Everything is individualized for you, even when you don’t want it to be. Either that, or it shoves Sabrina Carpenter down your throat.

So, yes, I am my own person, but as I go on, instead of evolving and growing and adding new dimensions to myself, I will be guided by my artificially-intelligent curator to keep on the same path, with only incredibly slow transitions to new phases (if any at all).

Have you noticed similar examples of pseudo-individualization in other forms of media?