Like oases of humanity amid streaming’s algorithmic desert

December 4, 2024 1:42 PM

These playlists preserve a slight human touch, representing user “folksonomies,” or organic, user-generated systems of classifying content compared to boring corporate categories like “mid-20s white woman who likes pop-rock.” They set the scene, address the listener, and offer a seductive promise—that however you ended up listening, whether by direct search or through an automated recommendation, this group of songs is bespoke and meant just for you (or the mushroom-gathering woodland sprite of your dreams). from What Wildly Specific POV Playlists Tell Us About How We Listen Today [Hearing Things]
posted by chavenet (3 comments total)

“..,POV playlists encourage us to listen based on shared experiences or fantasies.”

Isn’t that the point?

Almost all of the mixtapes (and later mixCD’s and now playlists) I have ever made for someone was put together with a hope to connect over our shared love of music, the open road, or each other.

Or as I like to say: “communicating by playlist” is my true top love language.
posted by zooropa at 2:39 PM on December 4 [3 favorites]

Agreed. As a person old enough to have made mixtapes back in the day, this article made me feel my age. Everything old is new again!
posted by mrphancy at 2:48 PM on December 4 [2 favorites]

A good DJ whose taste aligns with your own is always better for discovery than an algorithm.
posted by BrashTech at 6:25 PM on December 4 [2 favorites]