Breaking the Algorithm

 One of my resolutions this year is to fall down the rabbit hole more, i.e., doing far more research into things than is healthy. Basically, entertain my fleeting obsessions while I'm still interested in them. As you know, one of my favorite things is music, which means one of my favorite phone apps is (mais bien sur). As you may have guessed, I pay for Spotify Premium. Aside from my digital library card (which is free), the two subscriptions I cannot live without are the membership to my pole studio and Spotify Premium. These are self-care for me and non-negotiables in my budget. As such, I genuinely enjoy Spotify Unwrapped Day and look forward to the insights it provides me. For example, I listen to nearly 2.5 hours of music and podcasts a day (between my commute to work, my studio, running/at home pole sessions, and my kids' bath time, those minutes add up). And apparently, I'm in the top 7% of Taylor Swift listeners (give me a break - as noted, I listen to way more music than the average person, which means even it I listen to a moderate amount of T-Swift, it's going to be more than the average person). Finally, Spotify gives everyone a "listening personality." And here's where the rabbit hole starts.

For 2022, my listening personality was the "Early Adopter." Okay, sure....I can agree with that. But then, everyone else I know is also an "Early Adopter".....well, except my coworker who mostly listens to K-pop and gangsta rap. He got the "Adventurer" and that's when I started getting curious. What goes into this "listening personality"? Spotify knows everything about my listening habits - how many paranormal podcasts I'm subscribed to; how many episodes of manifestation podcasts I paid attention to (even though they all say the same thing and recycle each other's bullshit); how many hours of T-Swift I actually consumed; how often I look up songs I hear on IG reels; my favorite playlists for every type of situation in my life; and the list goes on. Spotify knows all my dirty secrets.....and yet, my listening personality is still the same as everyone else? Curiouser and curiouser. I wasn't even sure there were other personality types. And thus, I consulted Dr. Google.

Surprise! There's actually a lot of data analytics and musicology that goes into the Spotify Listening Personality. It's basically a personality test, similar to the Myers-Brigs Type Indicator (MBTI), which scores a person's listening habits on four different spectrums:

• Familiarity (F) vs Exploration (E) - Do you mostly listen to music you're familiar with? Do you tend to stick with one genre or a few artists? Or do you tend to explore other genres, artists, styles, etc? 
• Timelessness (T) vs Newness (N) - Basically, this is about your preference for listening to the Billboard Top 40. Are you only listening to new music right when it comes out or do your tastes span the range of musical history, defying genres and style periods?
• Loyalty (L) vs Variety (V) - Do you tend to listen to songs on repeat or do you prefer to listen to a multitude of songs before going back to familiar favorites?
• Commonality (C) vs Uniqueness (U) - This speaks to the popularity of the artists you listen to. Do you tend to listen to artists who have fans in the tens of millions (like, um, Taylor Swift) or do you prefer unknown, obscure artists (for example, Johnny Goth...love him!) who maybe only have a few thousand followers?

After the number crunching, the combinations of these four spectrums should spit out 16 distinct personalities. Given these descriptions, I was kind of surprised I got the Early Adopter (EVNC). Yes, I'd agree that I tend towards Exploration and Variety, but then I think my tastes veer more towards Timelessness and Uniqueness (damn it....my love of T-Swift clearly probably messed up my rankings). Then I started to wonder....well, how do we influence the data if we wanted to get one of the other Listening Personalities? Well, to understand that, you need to better understand the full spectrum of Listening Personalities. Here is a brief description of each:

• Early Adopter (EVNC) - The Early Adopter is always looking for the next big thing. They may find new music through the radio or social media, and they tend to be a tastemaker. The Early Adopter tends to have an ear for what might be popular in the near future but they get bored easily. Onto the next song.
• The Adventurer (EVNU) - This listener is always looking for their new favorite song. The Adventurer wants to hear something they've never heard before....and that they might choose to never hear again. This listener explores genres and the latest releases to curate a vibe that is truly unique on the music scene. 
• The Deep Diver (FTVU) - This type of listener knows what they like and will seek out more of the same. The Deep Diver might dive into a single artist's discography but might also try out the artists listed in the "Similar Artists" panel. Listen and repeat.
• The Devotee (FNLU) - Similar to the Deep Diver, this type of listener has one or several favorite artists that they have on repeat. The Devotee tends to hang out in the "This Is..." section of Spotify but may go through a single artist's entire discography simply because all of their favorite songs are by this particular person or band.
• The Replayer (FTLU) - This listener always goes back to their old favorites. The Replayer might have a lot of favorite songs but they're probably not going to venture outside of their comfort zone very often. Their repertoire may dip into several decades, especially music and genres that were popular during their childhood.
• The Connoisseur (FTLC) - The Connoisseur tends to stick to what has held up over time. Old classics that are still popular and new hits that seem to follow the same trend. Not particularly adventurous, the music this listener enjoys tends to have a common thread running through it.
• The Maverick (ETLU) - This listener's favorite band is someone you've never heard of in a genre you probably never listen to. The Maverick's tastes are eccentric and they wouldn't be caught dead listening to the Billboard Top 40. 
• The Fan Clubber (FNVC) - Once this listener finds an artist they really like (whether they're popular or undiscovered), they go all out in their support. The Fan Clubber is the one sharing the artist's music with friends, singing their praises on Tik Tok and IG, and who is subtly popping their songs into their playlists. These are the listeners who find the music before the Early Adopters - Early Adopters may make an artist popular, but the Fan Clubbers make sure the music is heard in the first place.
• The Top Charter (ETLC) - This listener loves a hit. The Top Charter usually gets into an artist when they're at the top of their game, when you can't escape their music on the radio. They're playlists tend to be filled with all the songs that hit the Top 40 at some point, regardless of genre. 
• The Enthusiast (FNLC) - The Enthusiast is similar to the Deep Diver and the Devotee, except they tend to focus most on a singular artist (Hello Swifties!) They are deeply supportive of their favorite artist but their fandom goes beyond even the Fan Clubber. Not only are they listening to the latest release, but they're buying all the merch and going to all the shows. Even if tickets cost $1000 for nosebleed seats. 
• The Time Traveler (ETVU) - Similar to the Adventurer, except the time period the music was created has little importance. The Time Traveler is always looking for their new favorite song or artist, regardless of the genre or time period it was created in. This person tends to have a diverse taste in music and was voted most likely to be bummed a band broke up.....20 years after it happened. (NOTE: This is the type of listener I actually think I am.)
• The Musicologist (ETVC) - Similar to the Time Traveler, except these listeners tend to be more focused on a particular genre or time period. The Musicologist is a specialist at heart....if they're into Emo and Pop Punk, they know all about the music that came out in the early 2000s. If they're into Country music, they know who won the CMT award for Best Female Vocalist in 1992 (it was Mary Chapin Carpenter....I did the googling for you), and if they like Disco, you can bet they know all the best tunes for doing the Hustle.
• The Nomad (ENLU) - The Nomad explores far and wide to find their music. This listener often has songs from other countries in multiple languages throughout a wide variety of genres. Perhaps they found their latest listen while traveling abroad, after checking out the local music scene. They enjoy finding undiscovered gems and when they find a good one, it will stay in their hearts (and on their playlists) forever.
• The Voyager (ENLC) - Similar to the Nomad, the Voyager is also searching the world for a new hit. However, they do have a comfort genre and all their favorite songs, regardless of origin, will sound a little bit similar. Maybe they have a sweet tooth for sugary Pop, whether it comes from Korea, Germany, or the USA. Or perhaps they're really into R&B, even if it's sung in Farsi. They know the elements they like and that always translates. 
• The Jukeboxer (FTVC) - This listener has a multitude of favorites they're always coming back to. The Jukeboxer is the master of the playlist but the same song might be on all of them. They tend to stay in their comfort zone, but it's a pretty big comfort zone that extends from classic oldies to new hits. 
• The Specialist (FNVU) - The Specialist is similar to the Musicologist, but with less depth. They do have discerning tastes and they're not particularly venturesome, but once they find an artist they like, they'll keep coming back. They might not be as wildly passionate about an artist as the Fan Clubber or the Enthusiast, but they will catch a concert if their favorite artist is in town.

Now you know everything I know about listening personalities. Thus, I've set out on a mission. In order to shake things up, I've been taking the scenic route on my listening voyage. Instead of sticking to my usual playlists, I've been exploring more genres I don't listen to as often, diving deep into the discography of artists I've just discovered, and checking out more tunes from other countries (a lot of K-Pop and Latin music like cumbia and reggaetón). I want to see where I end up on the above spectrum when I get out of my shell and truly attempt to become a well-listened individual. It's been fun and definitely different. I've become obsessed with a ton of new music lately that I've wanted to write about for months now.

Full disclosure: I started writing this blog post in January. As you may have noticed, it's June now. That is how my 2023 is going....I've hardly had time to catch my breath. Even so, I'm finding I have a new idea for a blog post almost weekly. The execution, however, has been a bit delayed. Between kids, pole training, being promoted at work (i.e., mo' money, mo' problems), and family issues, I've barely had time to do daily pages. I get up at 4:30AM just to write a couple pages for 30 minutes. And, although daily pages technically counts as writing, I don't really feel like it is, so my new writing goal is to try and finish the stuff I've started in this blog. Which, embarrassingly, includes like 10 posts that are currently in draft (nothing but a title and a few notes about where my train of thought was that day). I think I can commit to one post a week, at least for the next few months. That is my new goal for 2023....in addition to the rabbit hole diving.

Manifesting your dream life is about commitment - to daily habits, meeting goals, and living your values. That has been my major lesson thus far in 35th year around the Sun. More to come.

"Hold On Forever" by Rob Thomas

This gem popped up in my Spotify Discover mix somewhere near the end of summer and I've been hearing it a lot when I'm out and about. I guess it's a favorite to play in stores, which makes sense because it sounds so chipper and makes you feel happy. At least, it makes me feel happy. And hopeful, which is when I'm at my best. Hopeless Jess is the absolute worst. True story. Anyway, apparently "Hold On Forever" was released in September....three years ago!! It came out in 2015 and I'm just now hearing it. I'm so behind. Oh well...what else is new?

As you might have guessed, I like to listen to this song when I need someone (*cough*Rob Thomas*cough*) to tell me to cheer up. Because sometimes you need someone to make you smile in spite of yourself. To get you out of your head, just for a bit. So I wonder how Spotify's algorithm figured out I'd like this song? It was probably something like, "Hey! This chick likes Matchbox 20 and dancing alone in her room (or in the driveway, after a run....which resulted in some awkward stares from the people across the street) - this song is perfect for her!" Yep - Matchbox 20 and dancing like an idiot in public - I'm basically a 20-year-old frat boy....albeit in a cuter, tinier version. I was lucky enough to see Matchbox 20 when I was in high school, at the height of their popularity. That was a really good concert - the openers were Sugar Ray and the All-American Rejects. I brought my best friend at the time, whom I'll call Rae. One weird memory I took from that night - Rae remarked that I had "rhythm" and asked why I didn't dance more. Well, in high school, it was because I didn't want to look stupid. But now - as I've said before - I'm all out of fucks to give, so I do dance more at home. I would like to go out dancing or dance at events I'm invited to, like weddings and parties. Unfortunately, The Husband doesn't like to dance so I'm SOL. The other day, I was lamenting to my team that I would like to go line dancing, but it was unlikely to happen. But I'd like to, one of these days....I like line dancing and I fucking live in Texas, so why not? I'll have to find a friend who will indulge my inner cowgirl and doesn't mind being dragged along on half-baked adventures.

Lay down all your troubles end to end

They could reach up to the stars

So many roads, you don't know where you've been

But you still know who you are

And if I seem preoccupied, I'm wondering what to do

So here's my recipe for you

First thing, we make you feel better

Next stop, we pull it all together

I'll keep you warm like a sweater

Take my hand, hold on forever

Just fall apart if you need to

I'm here and I won't leave you now

Don't look down

Hold on forever

The official video for "Hold On Forever" follows a beautiful young couple on an adventure in New York City. The song was inspired by Rob Thomas wife, Marisol Maldonado, and the couple in the video was cast to look like them. Sort of. It's a white guy with a Hispanic girlfriend - I suppose that works. Anyway, for the last couple decades, Maldonado's been fighting Lyme disease. In fact, around the time "Hold On Forever" was released, she went into surgery to have a lesion removed from her brain. As you can guess, this can take a toll on a person and their family. It's a one day at a time sort of thing, so you have to hold onto the happy moments.

"Hold On Forever"