These days, only one topic occupied more space on social networks than the details of the brand new national administration: the Spotify Wrappedan annual event for the audio streaming platform that allows us to share our statistics of what we have heard the most.
This boom full of colors and positive messages also shows the enormous volume of private information that private companies have about us and our growing disinterest in taking care of our privacy.
There is no doubt that this summary of your users’ listening habits It is one of the most ingenious and successful marketing actions in recent years: The Swedish company found a way to convert part of the data it has on each person into a shared viral experience, vividly exploiting the weakness that we all feel for sharing those things that we recognize as typical of our personality, if they are presented as attractive narrative content made entirely to measure.
However, Is there anything beyond this narcissistic display of vanity? A critical look at this viral phenomenon shows us not only that it is a simple marketing tool presented almost as a service to the user so that they can get on the trend of the moment, but it also reminds us of the large volume of personal information that these platforms have.
This is very valuable data not only for artists, who can learn more about their audience, but for record labels and other companies that want to connect with certain people. The problem is that the way this coveted loot is handled is opaque to consumers..
Swedish authorities fined Spotify $5 million for its opaque way of communicating what it does with its users’ data.
In fact, in June of this year, the Swedish privacy protection authority fined Spotify nearly $5 million because it found the company’s communication about the information it stores about its users and what it does with it deficient.
It is difficult to know if this could happen in Argentina, for example, because the personal data protection law in force is already many years old, but it would be interesting to speculate what would happen if stronger rules are imposed… Perhaps the company would leave the country, as you decided to do in Uruguay after passing a law that increases the earnings of local musicians?
This move is a good opportunity to ask ourselves how interested we are in our privacy and its commercialization. A little-known fact may be revealing: no user can voluntarily decide to be excluded from this report, since Spotify compulsively prepares a Wrapped for each one and promotes it for several days on our profile.
When comparing the data from the different Wrapped, unexpected findings emerge – such as if your favorite city is Berkeley, Burlington or Cambridge, you are probably gay or from the queer community – and jokes and memes flourish. But it could also be the opportunity to reflect on how much we are giving up on ourselves for free and possibly with no way to turn back.