John Nava's review of Spotify
Date last edited: 05-30-2024 at 07:57PM
Rating: Not Rated
Review:
1. Title: Spotify
2. Developer: Daniel Elk & Martin Lorentzon
3. Genre: Music
4. Personal Rating: 3
5. Primary audience: All
6. Version: Roughly 8.9
7. Platform: Any
8. Cost: Monthly Subscription 10.99
Spotify was created in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in Sweden. The app contains access to music, audiobooks, podcasts, and other audio versions of media. This platform is a way for many artists and people with podcasts to post their work. Spotify has the ability to be a great advertising system. So, the way that artists are advertised could easily change the way that the platform is viewed regarding the 7 media keys. Spotify reaches a wide variety of audiences but does not post many things through a Catholic lens, or even a Christian lens. However, the application is not all bad as it does conform to the user’s liking.
The First Media Key: Balance
The first media key is all about our ability to form good opinions of media. Spotify showcases many different forms of music and podcasts that do not necessarily conform to a Catholic worldview. The app has a feed that can recommend music that it thinks you will be interested in and then it shows music that is trending at the current moment. While many songs or podcasts should be put into context, the suggested music on any given Spotify account usually contains explicit or suggestive content. The app also showcases artists who show indecent pictures as album covers even when a user does not have a history of listening to that artist or genre. For these reasons, Spotify does not exemplify the key of balance.
The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness
When distinguishing right from wrong on an app like Spotify, we must understand the interface and how it works. Users can choose from any song they like (after purchasing a subscription) and then listen to them. The main issue is that while some songs have an “E” next to them for explicit content, there are many songs with adult messages that do not. So, in this way, Spotify does not encourage users to distinguish between right and wrong but presents music as is. On the other hand, there is a Spotify version for children called Spotify Kids which contains singalongs and other media that is kid-friendly. Since there is such a big problem with social media and how it takes advantage of children, Spotify Kids is a huge step in the right direction.
The Third Media Key: Human Person
The simple answer to the question “Does Spotify go out of its way to uphold the dignity of the human person?” is no. As stated previously, the app showcases many album covers featuring suggestive and somewhat pornographic content. Any artist can post music on Spotify but the most famous artists are the ones with the most advertisements. Unfortunately, many of these renowned artists have explicit content either on their album covers their songs, or both. There are many songs that showcase objectivity and sometimes violence that are advertised widely, and the songs or podcasts that promote the dignity of the human person are only advertised when the user shows interest in them.
The Fourth Media Key: Truth-Filled
The positive side of Spotify is that it allows many Catholic or Christian music and podcasts to send the message of God across countries through the platform. This is a great way to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. Podcasts such as “The Bible in a Year Podcast” and “Pints with Aquinas” use Spotify as a great way to reach thousands of people and inform them about the truths of the Church. Sadly, there are many more podcasts and songs that are on Spotify that do not proclaim the good news. This is where the truth could be used better on the app. If Spotify erred on the side of proclaiming truth, it would completely showcase its ability to proclaim truth fully, but sadly it does not.
The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring
The entire purpose of creating anything is to point the consumer in a better direction than where they were before. The music or podcasts on Spotify should draw the listener into deeper thought and point them in the right direction. If someone were to look through any Spotify account, regardless of how many good songs or podcasts a user listens to, the general view of the interface is that most of the content does not point someone in a better direction. Unlike other media, Spotify does not use its platform to show how bad lifestyles can reflect poorly on a person. There are some artists or podcasts that are on Spotify to inspire others, but most of the content is not.
The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed
There are very few podcasts or songs that are put onto Spotify without being screened somewhat. So, most of the content on the app should be well-developed. For the most part, this is true. Even the songs with explicit content are made with a great amount of effort and most definitely take time to create. However, the content on Spotify does not go the extra mile. Spotify is not a Catholic app and does not encourage its users to look at things through a Catholic lens. Spotify could use its platform to engage the people in a way that glorifies God, but the managers do not have the best interest of mankind in mind.
The Seventh Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience
Closing the gap between the person using the media and their search for Christ. Since there are so many people who use Spotify, a small advertisement for God-centered content would go a long way. Spotify does use its interface to encounter its users and provide content that people can receive well. The artists on Spotify that do take advantage of Spotify’s interface are numerous but do not outnumber the artists who do the opposite. These artists do a great job of being in the world and not of it and therefore exemplify the seventh media key well.
Overall, Spotify is an application that has great potential to be a great use of our power as co-creators. There are many users on the app that focus on being a great influence on the users and, therefore, accomplish the goal of what media should be very well. Unfortunately, the amount of users whose content openly opposes the Christian view overwhelms the good intentions of Christian creators. If one were to use Spotify, they must be very careful to consider the first two media keys. If this informative practice is done well, Spotify is an extremely useful app that can be a good influence on its users, but it is not for people with problems with the virtue of temperance.
Seven Keys:
Balanced:
Attitude:
Personal:
Truth-filled:
Inspired:
Skillfully Made:
Experienced:
Overall Rating: 17/35
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