Now and then, algorithms have a way of making life better, not worse. As the most high-profile court case against social media unfolds in the USA, showing how disastrous the algorithms that run social media can be, I found myself applauding when it works.
Algorithms run our lives – if we let them. But occasionally I find that they can work for us too.
I know it’s a highfalutin way to explain it, but I had such an epiphany this week when I got Spotify to play all of the similar songs to my current favourite track, Ride On / Right On by Phosphorescent.
Hours of similar music later, and I’m again a fan of the algorithm – but only for entertainment. Scratch that. Only for audio entertainment.
I am still unwilling to let the algorithm choose what show I watch next. I like to retain control of my major entertainment, thank you very much. This is part of the reason I deleted TikTok from my phone. I don’t like the idea – at a fundamental and ideological level – of someone else deciding what I waste my time on.
Music, however, is different. There have always been DJs who have introduced me to new music. That has been part of their job. I also read music reviews and take tips from music journalists on what to listen to – both of these are because I read the newspaper, as it were. Both The Guardian and The New York Times have a rich cultural section, where I read about film, television, books, and music.
How else would I know renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto went to his favourite restaurant and was so disappointed with the music that he created his own playlist for Kajitsu. He’s great at writing music, too, by the way.
I occasionally check the “song of the week” or “songs of the year” playlists that these publications create on Spotify. My best find of the year was Bad Bunny’s NUEVAYol, which the former editor of Stuff, Craig Wilson, introduced me to in his playlist of 25 good songs from 2025.
I was a big fan of the Emmy-winning album before it won big, and Bad Bunny won bigger with his love-beats-hate Super Bowl performance. Spotify introduced me to a bunch of great Latino music, too – including the most unusual of mashups featuring Björk. Yes, Icelandic songstress, who complements Rosalina’s own amazing voice. The video is pretty cool, too.
Spotify is not the old-school DJs of my youth, but an upgrade on them.
