🎧 Academic Uses for Analyzing Spotify Wrapped

1. Build Your Own “Wrapped”

Students compile data from a non-personal topic (reading habits, time spent on homework, screen time, etc.) and create a Wrapped-style infographic.

2. Class Trends Analysis

Gather anonymous class-wide data:

• Most popular genres

• Avg. listening hours

• Seasonal listening trends

• Students create visualizations and write a findings summary.

3. Algorithm Debate

Prompt:   “Does Spotify shape your taste, or do you shape Spotify’s recommendations?” 

Students use Wrapped data as evidence.

4. Design Challenge

Students redesign a Wrapped slide using Canva or Slides focusing on:

• Typography

• Layout

• Color choices

• Audience impact

5. Music & Mood Science Experiment

Students explore a research question:
“How does genre or tempo affect focus, mood, or productivity?”

They can:

• Gather classmates’ Wrapped genres

• Pair genres with simple focus tasks

• Measure results (time, accuracy, mood rating)

Skills: scientific method, data collection, variables, experimental design
Subjects: Science, Psychology

6. Genre Geography Map

Students research the cultural origins of their top genres. They create:

• A world map of genre origins

• A short write-up about one artist or style

• A timeline showing genre evolution

Skills: geography, cultural literacy, research
Subjects: Social Studies, Music History

7. Consumer Data Ethics Case Study

Students examine:

• What data Spotify tracks

• Why Wrapped exists (marketing, engagement)

• Privacy concerns

• Benefits vs. risks

Then they write or debate:   “Should companies create personalized data products for teens?”

Skills: argument writing, digital citizenship, evidence-based reasoning
Subjects: English, Civics, Media Literacy 

8. Playlist-as-Poetry Assignment

Students select 3–5 songs in their Wrapped and write:

• Why each song mattered this year

• How it reflects a personal theme (growth, conflict, identity)

• A short creative piece inspired by lyrics or tone

Skills: reflective writing, thematic analysis, symbolism
Subjects: English/ELA

9. “Year in Review” Infographic (Non-Music Version)

Instead of listening data, students make a “Wrapped”-style summary about:

• Books they read

• Sports practices or games

• Clubs or activities

• Phone usage (non-identifying)

• Personal academic milestones

Skills: data storytelling, visual design
Subjects: Homebase, ELA, Art

10. Song Analysis Connected to Literature

Students choose a Wrapped song and connect it to:

• A character’s motivation

• A theme from a book

• A conflict or setting

Comparable to “character playlists,” but anchored in actual listening habits.

Skills: textual analysis, synthesis
Subjects: English