Nov. 30 is my Christmas, not just because it’s my half birthday, but because my YouTube wrapped drops. As an avid YouTube music listener, I get to spend my whole day reflecting on my spectacular music taste, the artists I listened to the most, the songs I listened to the most and the vibes I give off because of my taste. And the best part is I get to show all my friends all my favorite music! It’s simply amazing.
The one thing standing in my way from having a great Christmas is the elitist musical die-hards who slide up on my story and say, “Wow you listen to YouTube instead of Spotify?” You see, to them, I’m a social outcast. I would even go as far as to say I’m the pee kid.
You know the kid in first grade who accidentally peed his pants in front of all of his friends and then no matter what he did throughout his adolescence he could never shake the legacy of being the pee kid? That is me. No matter how many minutes I listened to (105 total minutes), no matter how great the artists were (Hootie and the Blowfish and Olivia Rodrigo), I will always be the pee kid.
My own sister slid up on my Instagram story to criticize me for listening to my music on YouTube. Sister, your top song was Rock ‘n' Roll McDonalds. How dare she criticize the way I consume music?
People don’t realize this but YouTube has a wrapped just like Spotify. In fact, it's better than Spotify; it actually creates an original album cover for you based on the music you’ve listened to this year. Not that it matters, but mine was a picture of Jessica Chastain’s face on a dog’s body. I’m not sure what it means, but I’m pretty proud of it.
Secondly, and most importantly, YouTube is free. Have you ever tried to use free Spotify? It’s agony, I can’t even pick a singular song I want, the app just shuffles the artist. Even then you still have to listen to minutes of ads for what seems like every three songs. I might as well listen to the radio at that point. YouTube still has ads but at least they’re short.
No, this is not an ad spot for YouTube music but by all means, please YouTube. I will throw every ounce of journalistic integrity out the window for a free YouTube premium. Obert Opines will turn into a glorified billboard so I don’t have to listen to ads before Gucci Gang (kidding).
Listen, I'll admit YouTube has its flaws. For starters, you can’t close the app and still listen to music. So I can’t just turn my phone off, pop in my headphones and listen to a Lana Del Rey record.
Here’s the kicker though, I also don’t have headphones so I have to play my music off my phone out loud and just hold my phone next to my ear while I’m walking in between classes. I’ve done irreversible damage to my phone because I’ve dropped it seven times in the last two weeks and my hearing will never be the same in my right ear but you can’t beat free!
Additionally, I have gotten into several heated personal battles with complete strangers in the comment sections of those Jeremiah and Belly YouTube edits from the show “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” I don’t even ship Jeremiah and Belly. In fact, I despise them; I watch the videos just to pick fights with Jelly fans. After exchanging addresses with multiple Jelly fans, I realized I love Conrad but that’s not why I get in arguments. I do it because I’m good at it and I think it ultimately makes me a better person.
In the end, I’m not here to justify my choices to anyone. I will gladly be the pee kid, the kid with the cheese touch, the social pariah if it means standing up for what I believe in. If you don’t agree with my choices, fine. Here’s the good news: we're all different, and we all have our own likes, dislikes and personal preferences, but I'll be damned if my opinion, as controversial as it may be, is silenced.
Bobby Gorbett is a senior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Bobby know by tweeting him @GorbettBobby.
