Why do we use Spotify’s private session? : asking B-Side

It is no secret that social media platforms are used as a way to socially vet potential new friends or romantic partners; they’re a tool to test compatibility. How one captions their photos, their sense of style, and who they associate with come together to inform your decision on whether or not to ask them out on that second date or if you can see them being your good friend. More recently though, Spotify has become the social platform of choice for music nerds to search for red flags based on other’s musical tastes. For some, they feel they could learn more about you from your ‘chill playlist’ than from anything else. 

What this means is that there is now one more place where we are being screened. Personally, this is both one of my favorite and least favorite features of Spotify. I love discovering new music from friends by seeing what they are listening to on a Saturday afternoon, but I am constantly aware that people have access to what I might be listening to at all times. This is when the private session comes in. This feature allows users to listen to their music in secret; I can listen to my lo-fi beats to study and check out Ariana Grande’s new album without the fear that someone might notice and conclude that I am not the cultured music expert that I portray. 

As superficial as that sounds, I know I am not the only one that feels the need to curate their music profiles and hide what will be viewed as “bad” or “mainstream.” To make sure I am not alone in this, I turned to my fellow members at The B-side and asked them if they use the private session feature, what music they turn it on for, and why they think they might do this. Here were their responses: 

Kieran Zimmer, Staff Editor: I definitely have used the Spotify private session, mostly just to listen to my own music haha. I got caught by one of my friends and they roasted me for that so now I’m too embarrassed. All my guilty pleasure music stays on public though cause I can pass it off as ironic. 

Kaylie Moropoulous, Marketing: I do not use the private session on Spotify. If I have, it would have been a one-off. I’ve thought about using the private session, but at the end of the day, my music taste is my music taste and I figure if I’m listening to something I should be proud of it no matter how ‘embarrassing’ it’s supposed to be (or at least honest about it!). This means that sometimes my friends make fun of me for listening to old Hannah Montana on a Thursday night or maybe why I’ve played “So This is Love” off the Cinderella soundtrack, or the fact that when it’s literally raining, I’ll listen to rain sounds if I can’t quite hear it enough, but whatever, it’s me so why hide it?

At worst, someone is like what the hell when they look at their friend activity but sometimes I’ll be listening to come cringe-worthy playlist, and low and behold I look at my friend activity and now two of my friends are listening to the same thing. Sometimes that “embarrassing music” is also just really really good, sometimes its exactly what we need, why would I hide that?

Stanley Quiros, Staff Writer: What IS a private session? Omg what, that’s kind of epic. I use YouTube music for that, mostly for instrumentals of artists I don’t respect, like “Hotline Bling” or “One Dance” by Drake, or “Slide” by Calvin Harris. Maybe “don’t respect” is too strong., it’s more so for songs that I find cringey. I think I do this because these artists aren’t artists I care for necessarily, so I don’t want their music showing up unless it’s a specific song. Like I don’t like “Hotline Bling” because of Drake but because I enjoy the music.

Gautham Sathisan, Marketing: I do not use the private session on Spotify. If I did I would probably use it for Megan Thee Stallion or even Cardi B and Ariana Grande

Alice Markman, Publishing Editor: I use Spotify private sessions mostly when I’m babysitting and playing Disney music for the kids. I turn it on private because my friends have made fun of me for it before, and though I know it’s in good fun, I still get a little embarrassed

Paloma Macias, Staff Editor: I do have the private session, I turn it on when I am listening to embarrassing music or when I am listening to the music of a person I used to go out with and don’t want them to see 

Skylar Heyveld, Photographer: I do use the Spotify private session, primarily for when I go on runs because I tend to listen to electronic or house music. Ultimately, the reason I do this is to solidify an aspect of my identity as consuming specific genres of music. Not to hate on EDM or house music, but I find that many consider it to be less ‘legitimate’ of a genre than many others. Although I shouldn’t care, I still find myself concerned with how others will think of me, particularly my taste in music, and I don’t want my listening activity on Spotify to reflect my taste in an inconsistent manner.

Anonymous Member: I have never really used the private session before the last few months, but ever since I started hanging out with this Tinder boy who keeps sending me fucking Drain Gang to listen to, so I was not really thinking about it. But then I got a message from a friend from home that said “ARE WE DRAINING?,” and now I make sure to switch on private sessions whenever he sends me things.”

After consulting with B-side members, I felt validated that other people use the feature in order to listen to music that isn’t quite consistent with their taste and was thrilled to see that some members listened to every kind of music shamelessly, for the world to see. While I think that curating a reel of our happiest moments or our coolest playlists is only natural, I can only wish that we would allow ourselves to show all of it. The late nights listening to that one playlist that helps us study, the throwback T.V. show theme songs we listen to with friends or the depressing music we used it listened to as seventh graders that still make us cry. There’s no reason that those pleasures need to be guilty. 

Written by Daniella Ivanir