How Wrapped Became a Ritual

Cleo Knight unpacks how Spotify Wrapped evolved from a data report into an internet-wide cultural ritual. She explores the psychological triggers that make Wrapped irresistible: nostalgia, identity formation, social signaling, quantified self-validation, and pure voyeurism. Cleo examines how Spotify transformed passive music consumption into active identity performance by packaging user data into flattering, shareable narratives. She traces Wrapped's evolution from its 2015 origins through its 2017-2018 breakthrough when it became appointment content. The episode reveals how Wrapped's emotional design always makes users look interesting, taps into the need to be seen, and turned data sharing into a synchronized social event that marks the end of each year as surely as New Year's Eve itself.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI