Spotify Wrapped handed us all a New Year’s resolution: to be creative, you must escape the algorithm
James Kirkham, co-founder of Iconic, fears that we are losing our passion for discovery as algorithms lead us to more of the same.
Spotify Wrapped has become a cultural phenomenon, but 2024’s iteration felt different. For those who aren’t aware, Spotify Wrapped is a personalised year-in-review feature that creates special playlists for users.
Last year's felt less like a celebration of individuality and more like the final nail in the coffin of creative spontaneity. Many users branded it “boring” or a “flop”. Some complained about the absence of the more engaging creative data stories Wrapped usually features. The meme came true: “Nobody cares about your Spotify Wrapped.”
AI supposedly helps the music curation process, charting not just what we had listened to, but what we’re likely to enjoy next. But in reality it’s a soulless silent nudge towards even more predictability.
In the pursuit of convenience, we erode our skill of discovery.
The algorithm is a tepid reassurance that our tastes are able to be boxed, labelled, or refined. When you listen to the traditional radio, you get what a disc jockey likes and there could be surprises. However, if you go to your automated playlist - you just get more of what you have heard before.
This is where we are. The algorithm has smoothed every edge, sanded every quirk, and left us with cultural offerings that look and feel interchangeable.
The once-vibrant novelty of Airbnb became a blur of greyscale kitchens and uniform wall art. Coffee shops became a parade of plants, light wood, and soft lighting. All our cultural choices converged into safe, algorithm-approved mush.
Yet it’s the brands that successfully defy norms that drive culture and gain traction with the next generation, like Liquid Death, Klarna, Surreal and Starface. Each of these brands has redesigned expectations of what drinking water should be about, who messaging about shopping should appeal to if cereal is boring and what to do with a breakout. Each has been a risky move, but they are all paying off as cult brands.
Despite this, we remain trapped in a cycle where brands and creators are incentivised to play it safe.
Anything remotely unusual is punished by algorithms that prioritise mass appeal and by audiences conditioned to expect conformity. The result is a digital and physical world devoid of texture or imagination.
We’ve all become algorithmic sleepwalkers so how do we escape the “tyranny” of our vanilla streams and reclaim individuality?
The first step is to acknowledge the trade-offs we have made. We need to resist the pull of “because you liked” and embrace the messiness of discovery. Turn off autoplay. Seek out the corners of Spotify that the algorithm hides from you or don’t use it at all. Go to a record shop and talk with the owner. Listen to a radio station you have never heard of, read a zine, and make note of a band t-shirt you see on the bus.
This is not just a consumer choice but an act of rebellion.
Brands have an even greater responsibility. Using data is fine, but you’re never going to stand out if you use that data to slip into another company’s algorithm. You can use it to find the boundaries and break them though. This way you can take a risk that doesn’t go too far or confuses your audience - like Jaguar. But you can still stand out while working near the scope of what your fans or followers like.
Technology platforms also have a role to play. Spotify could move away from endless refinement of its AI and instead create tools that promote genuine exploration - or highlight that anyone can make and curate playlists that share their niche or mainstream tastes and preferences. TikTok could prioritise diversity of content over time spent on the app. Amazon could surface products that are handcrafted or niche, rather than just bestselling. The platforms that thrive in the coming years will not be those that deliver more of the same but those that enable discovery and connection.
The important thing is for creatives to make sure they are switching their environments and pursuing their own stimulation. Look for tangible experiences that don’t work on Instagram, explore new magazines and vinyl in reaction to the ceaseless scroll and a need to be anchored in something different, real, ownable and less predictable. This is especially true for the younger generation. A recent survey from the Booksellers Association shows Gen Z and millennials are more likely to buy a book based on a bookseller’s recommendation – in person, in a bookshop than older consumers. That’s a shame because it’s never going to make the jump that book or music fans can without even trying too hard.
If we want to be entertained by digital spaces, then we need to move beyond beige and rediscover what makes us truly alive.
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