That’s a wrap on 2021: Spotify disappoints its users with playlist drop

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UNSPLASH PHOTO COURTESY OF David Pupaza

Many are disappointed with Spotify’s annual release of the personalized playlists curated with user’s 100 most listened-to songs of the year. https://unsplash.com/license

Alexandra Kinsey and Ruth Crawford

On Dec. 1, Spotify released its annual personalized playlists curated with user’s 100 most listened-to songs of the year, and though the wrap-up was designed to be shared on social media many feel as though the graphics have fallen flat.

The world of social media has not hesitated to express its disappointment. Many users have created videos criticizing the questionable design and challenging the decisions of the designers. In fact, some users were so thrown off by the graphics that they had questioned whether there had been a glitch, causing a change in design.

Though Spotify is not a graphic design company by any means, no one wants poor design choice to be the only thing advertised during a long-awaited social media event.

Sophomore Chloe Nguyen of Eatontown explained that, although not all aspects of the wrap were poor, the designs did not live up to what she had imagined in a year of anticipation.

“I think the structure was really good but the designs of some of the pages were very basic and honestly disappointing,” said Nyguen. “You would think a major music brand would create your ‘year-long’ stats nice, but it was so bland.”

Nevertheless, many were able to look past the disappointing graphics. Junior Anna Siciliano of Ocean Township explains the nostalgia she feels whenever the date of the Spotify Wrapped drop draws near.

“My sister and I treat Spotify Wrapped as a national holiday because even though it isn’t 100% accurate, it says a lot about what you go through that year and it’s always nice to look back,” Siciliano said. “I love that it gives you a playlist of your top songs, because to me that’s like a scrapbook of memories.”

Not only does the streaming service give listeners their own playlists, it also shows users their most listened-to songs, artists and podcasts. Another feature that attracts users as December approaches is the calculated amount of time they’ve spent using the app each year.

Junior Lucy Battista of Tinton Falls bragged about the time she’s spent listening to her favorite artists.

“I totaled 188,446 minutes,” said Battista.

Spotify Wrapped gave listeners all over the world a chance to reflect on their top songs, artists and albums from 2021. Although there are some who think that the graphics, colors and overall design of the recap could have been better, many Spotify users still enjoyed the chance to appreciate their stats for the past year.