I was reading about self-tracking recently. Just in time, too. It’s the season for gathering all the scary and mysterious user data, wrapping it up for customers, and sharing it with followers. It seems that, at some point, advertisers realized we actually like data; that they don’t have to reserve it for algorithms and analyst meetings. Health apps and smartwatches are pretty good at this. Spotify and Apple Music might be the best.

Spotify, in particular, pioneered a new format for this data-event-drop-thing that’s so popular now. They started in 2015 under a different name. Now, every December, we wait, never knowing the exact date. When it drops, it’s instantly viral. In large part by word-of-mouth, too. I guess I can forgive them for omitting December’s data so classmates can tell me it’s here.

It arrives: The perfect present—your handpicked, digested data. The branding, “Wrapped,” seems appropriate in this way.

2025 Wrapped is here, and it’s more dynamic, personal, and unmistakably you than ever before.

– Spotify

Spotify provides relatively neutral data, like minutes and top artists, alongside more colorful contextualizations, like listening age and clubs. (To their credit, they explain their approach here, How Your Wrapped is Made.)

Spotify beautifies dull data in a narrative and shareable format. They categorize and diagnose us and give us all sorts of things to interact with, like greetings from our top artists and shareable posters.

This approach transforms cold, hard stats into moments of self-discovery, allowing users to see themselves reflected in the data in a way that feels validating and fun.

– Nicole Li, Marketing Strategist

This trend is interesting, but I’m hesitant. It’s data storytelling, using our data, but we are not the authors of the stories. Is it harder to call Earl Sweatshirt my favorite artist this year when Kendrick Lamar has more minutes? Maybe data is more true because it’s more objective—memory certainly is not. Still, this trend is popular, and for good reason.

These “Year in X” recaps are a popular new way to engage with products. I do enjoy seeing what my interest, time, and money go towards, and I would never gather the information myself. From a marketer’s perspective, they’re almost too perfect for promoting subscriptions; you’ll never get a “Wrapped” for your vinyl collection.

To be useful, data has to be interpreted—that’s been done for us. I wonder if I’m missing out on any meaning by skipping that step. I wonder if I’m changing by interpreting myself via the data I produce. Is there any other way? Will I continue to emphasize the things not easily measured? Maybe someone will discover a way to measure those things, too. Maybe that will solve everything.