Spotify's 'Listening Age' Calculations Spark Outrage as Users Reveal Discrepancies Between Personal Taste and Algorithmic Assessment
For some music lovers, the annual Spotify Wrapped campaign has become a source of entertainment, rather than a reflection on their musical taste. But for many users, including 44-year-old blogger who recently found himself with a 'listening age' of 86, it's been a personal affront.
The controversy began when Spotify released its "Listening Age" feature, which calculates a user's age based on the music they've listened to over the past year. The blog post in question revealed that despite spending hours listening to contemporary artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Dean, his 'listening age' was set at an astonishing 86 years old.
The discrepancy between his personal taste and Spotify's algorithmic assessment sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many users sharing their own experiences of being wrongly labeled as "oldies" by the platform. Even actors like Louis Partridge and Judi Dench got in on the action, with Partridge joking about his own 'listening age' of 100.
So what's behind Spotify's decision to calculate a user's listening age? According to the company, it's all about identifying users who are "out of step" with their peers. By analyzing release dates and musical genres, Spotify aims to determine which songs its users connect with most - and then use that information to infer their age.
But many users argue that this approach is flawed, particularly when it comes to those with eclectic tastes like the blogger in question. Despite listening to a wide range of contemporary artists, his 'listening age' was calculated based on his occasional listens to music from the 1950s.
It seems Spotify's strategy has been paying off, however, with millions of users sharing their own Wrapped stories online and using the hashtag #RageBait to poke fun at the platform. As one user quipped, "raise your hand if you felt personally victimised by your Spotify Wrapped listening age."
In response to the backlash, some users are taking a more tongue-in-cheek approach, embracing their 'listening age' and reveling in their musical eclecticism. The blogger in question, for instance, has taken to playing classic songs like Ella Fitzgerald's "You Make Me Feel So Young" on his dusty old CD player, proudly proclaiming that he knows the lyrics off by heart.
As it becomes clear that Spotify's Wrapped campaign is more about entertainment than serious musical analysis, one can't help but wonder what the future holds for this contentious feature. Will users continue to laugh at their 'listening age' labels, or will they find a way to genuinely connect with their own musical tastes through the platform? Only time will tell.
For some music lovers, the annual Spotify Wrapped campaign has become a source of entertainment, rather than a reflection on their musical taste. But for many users, including 44-year-old blogger who recently found himself with a 'listening age' of 86, it's been a personal affront.
The controversy began when Spotify released its "Listening Age" feature, which calculates a user's age based on the music they've listened to over the past year. The blog post in question revealed that despite spending hours listening to contemporary artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Dean, his 'listening age' was set at an astonishing 86 years old.
The discrepancy between his personal taste and Spotify's algorithmic assessment sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many users sharing their own experiences of being wrongly labeled as "oldies" by the platform. Even actors like Louis Partridge and Judi Dench got in on the action, with Partridge joking about his own 'listening age' of 100.
So what's behind Spotify's decision to calculate a user's listening age? According to the company, it's all about identifying users who are "out of step" with their peers. By analyzing release dates and musical genres, Spotify aims to determine which songs its users connect with most - and then use that information to infer their age.
But many users argue that this approach is flawed, particularly when it comes to those with eclectic tastes like the blogger in question. Despite listening to a wide range of contemporary artists, his 'listening age' was calculated based on his occasional listens to music from the 1950s.
It seems Spotify's strategy has been paying off, however, with millions of users sharing their own Wrapped stories online and using the hashtag #RageBait to poke fun at the platform. As one user quipped, "raise your hand if you felt personally victimised by your Spotify Wrapped listening age."
In response to the backlash, some users are taking a more tongue-in-cheek approach, embracing their 'listening age' and reveling in their musical eclecticism. The blogger in question, for instance, has taken to playing classic songs like Ella Fitzgerald's "You Make Me Feel So Young" on his dusty old CD player, proudly proclaiming that he knows the lyrics off by heart.
As it becomes clear that Spotify's Wrapped campaign is more about entertainment than serious musical analysis, one can't help but wonder what the future holds for this contentious feature. Will users continue to laugh at their 'listening age' labels, or will they find a way to genuinely connect with their own musical tastes through the platform? Only time will tell.
I mean, who calculated that 44-year-old dude's listening age as 86? Like what even is the point of it all? 
They're basically saying you're old if you like Sabrina Carpenter, which is just not true. And honestly, I love that people are poking fun at it and making a joke out of it 
. The blogger who got his 'listening age' wrong took it to heart by listening to Ella Fitzgerald's "You Make Me Feel So Young" on vinyl - that's some next level stuff 
. Maybe Spotify should just stick to what they're good at: playing music and letting us discover new artists 
.
I was listening to that old Ella Fitzgerald song in history class today and I totally connected with it lol. But seriously, this Spotify thing is kinda funny, I mean who cares about your 'listening age'? 
It's like they're trying to make fun of us or something. And honestly, who gets their 'listening age' from music alone? I have songs from the 2000s on my playlist and they still think I'm old news 
People are hating on Spotify for trying to be all smart and stuff, but honestly, it's just a fun gimmick 
The 'listening age' feature is like the ultimate icebreaker – it's given people permission to laugh at themselves and own their musical weirdness 
Maybe Spotify should just roll with it and make 'listening age' a thing – it'd be a great conversation starter 
. I mean, who decides what makes you "old"? It sounds like they just threw some numbers at a wall and hoped something stuck 
. And now people are sharing their ridiculous ages online, making fun of themselves for having eclectic tastes 
. It's actually kinda relatable? We all have different musical tastes, right? Maybe Spotify should just stick to recommending music based on what we're listening to, instead of trying to label us by age 
. Ella Fitzgerald's "You Make Me Feel So Young" is a banger 
! Anyway, it's all good vibes now 
. Let's just enjoy our Spotify Wrapped stories without getting too hung up on our "listening ages".
but also kinda with the users who are salty about it 
so like what if the algorithm thinks you're 86 when really you're just a cool cat who listens to all genres 
maybe Spotify should like add more nuance to their algorithm or something 
! And can we talk about the entertainment value of seeing actors like Louis Partridge and Judi Dench poking fun at themselves on social media? 
... Like I get it, they're trying to figure out what kind of music you like and stuff, but come on, 44 and being calculated as 86 years old? That's just ridiculous 
!