Is Spotify the Newest Social Media Network?

Social media platforms are constantly developing and evolving to meet user needs and keep up with competitors. Spotify has recently updated its app interface to allow for comments on podcasts – a change that has been met with mixed reviews from consumers and for some, represents the beginning of the app’s transformation into a social media platform.

The recent addition of podcast comments to the Spotify interface has prompted comparisons to YouTube and TikTok. New features like a “for you page”, a discovery feed, stories and artist profiles where creators can advertise merchandise and tickets have all led to the proposition that Spotify is moving towards building a social networking experience and is increasingly becoming a social media platform.

One of the main critiques of this recent development is that there are minimal non-social spaces remaining on the internet, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for users to be online without seeing public commentary from strangers. Further, there are concerns that Spotify will become another avenue for unchecked social venting due to the nature of some of the podcasts that are streamed through Spotify.

Spotify’s current model requires podcast publishers to review each comment submitted and choose those they wish to make public, but they ultimately plan to implement a “default to public” comments option. 

With the recent changes, Spotify is evolving from an app where users consume audio to one where they can “actively share their thoughts, feelings and opinions” - features which when combined, suggest that Spotify is ready to move towards and compete as, and among, larger social networks.