Spoilers in the Modern Age of Social Media
Have you ever been scrolling through your social media and come across a major plot twist that occurred in an episode of your favorite show? But the only problem is that you haven’t watched the episode yet?!
Unfortunately, this is what consumers of entertainment have to deal with in the modern age of social media. The act of “spoiling” something for the sake of others on the platform has become a double edged sword in the social media world. On one hand, it is amazing for people to demonstrate their excitement and opinions on a specific episode of the show (after they had watched the episode themselves). But, on the other hand, the people who have not watched the episode end up coming across the content and — boom! — a major plot twist of an upcoming episode is ruined.
Spoilers for major TV shows with big fanbases are quite common, as people from all over the world watch the episode at different times and want to spread their views and opinions online. For example, Game of Thrones is a worldwide phenomenon, and fans constantly have to deal with spoilers from people in other countries before they themselves can watch it (that is if you are watching as the episodes air). People sometimes get very irritated and vent about their frustrations directly to the people “spoiling” their favorite show.
I have been a personal victim of having things nearly spoiled for me, especially if you follow people involved with the project you are passionate about. One of the shows I am a fan of, Doctor Who, is from “across the pond” and the programme is known for “spoiling” key plot points for fans if you follow them online. The marketing team live tweets each episode as it airs, and it happens three times: once for England viewers, a second time for East Coast viewers and a third time for the West Coast viewers. For the American viewers, we have to stay off of social media, and sometimes key things get leaked which can be unfortunate.
This same problem with spoilers can also happen in films. Hollywood blockbusters are known to screen films early to press and fans with special early access before the film is released to the public. This allows the press to give subtle hints about the film before the public has even seen it. Once the film comes out, on the other hand, its even harder to escape spoilers. A good example of spoilers is when Avengers: Infinity War came out this past May. Once the film had been released, fans were jumping to social media to delve into deep detail about the most tragic deaths that happened on screen. Unfortunately, fans who had not seen the film were hit with wave after wave of spoilers, ones that eventually irritated people enough to say that it “ruined the film for them”.
The main tip I can say to deal with this problem? Stay off of social media. I know, it sounds super difficult. But while your favorite episode is on the air, whether you are watching it or not, save viewing the live tweets and writing your opinions until after it has gone off the air. And if you are like me, and end up watching episodes a few days after it airs, stay off of Twitter. It will save you major plot twists, especially if you follow your favorite show on social media.
The nice thing is, some shows will give you a heads up when they will start live-tweeting and recommend that you stay off of social media. Stay off of social media while watching your favorite show; your fan-loving heart will thank you.
