Spoiler Warnings, Trigger Warnings, and the Media Experience
(Great news everyone! There are no Star Wars spoilers in this article, though there’s an Undertale-mechanics mention. Similarly, there are no triggers in this work, except if you count mentions of some major triggers.)
Honestly, if you’ve found this article, you’ve probably already seen the mad frenzy on every social media site about Star Wars and, more specifically, spoilers, and the hatred they bring out in our fellow humans. Like other works of media in the past, the long-time anticipation of Star Wars has caused many to anticipate — and prioritize — those final, climactic moments, when they sit in the theater, watch the screen light up, and strap in for the emotional ride. Even Netflix has made fun of the anti-spoiler craze. Multiple times.
Unfortunately, in some media and for some people, emotional provocation ends up more like literally causing war flashbacks. That’s no fun, and not how any creator should want their work to be experienced.
The discourse over trigger warnings has flared up recently, especially as students are more and more willing to brave the stigma of speaking out for their safety and the safety of their peers. That overall discussion in terms of academia is a subject that’s been endlessly brought up again and again in other articles, so we won’t go over that so much here.
That subject, though, has also flared up in another important area: pop culture.
As a nerd, and specifically a gamer first and foremost, the question of trigger warnings in the nerd sphere has been on my radar for a while. Honestly, when someone talks about trigger warnings and stuff, some random dude from the nerd-o-sphere will probably be the first one to pop in to try to mock the subject. (Usually some ad-hominem or bad mocking strawman s**t, probably referring to being a “social justice warrior” and how media is being ruined by simply-executed basic respect for others’ mental health needs.)
But funny enough, it’s many of those same dudes that will cry alligator tears over a lack of spoiler warnings. Yes, these men that have no regard for the mental health of those affected by traumatic effects will likely have their feelings hurt by plot points that they will probably encounter soon enough anyway.
So I can guarantee that some of you are pretty sure that’s an unfair discussion, right off the bat. I’m not inclined to disagree, which is why we’re here today — to take a look at the general concept of “spoilers” and how they intersect with trigger warnings.
Spoilers and Media Consumption Gone Rotten
Honestly, in my personal opinion, expecting to not run into spoilers at some point is absurdly entitled. There are a ton of really weird factors that will play into whether or not you eventually do — socio-economic status will affect how soon and if you will encounter the media; what sites you frequent or social groups you’re in will certainly play a part; and, if you’re a girl with a bunch of male friends that have seen some nerd media, you risk the assumption that your friends don’t think you like the media enough to care for the spoilers. Plus, there are just the everyday hardships of life in general which prevent some people from having the time and chance to experience the media.
In other words, given I’m a broke college woman in the midst of finals, if I liked Star Wars as much as my other peers, I’d be f****d in terms of avoiding spoilers. And honestly, that has happened many, many times with Netflix shows I’ve been meaning to watch, plus the tumblr bloggers that instantly GIF any series that gets released.
Essentially, it’s worth taking a look emotional fragility and elitism of hyped fans in the concept of spoilers. In the same vein as trigger warnings, spoiler warnings focus on the feelings of a fan. They change how you encounter the work.
But in the case of spoiler warnings, they experience on a much more petty aspect of media consumption: relying on plot moments to enjoy a work as a whole. Like, absolute reliance. That’s not to say that’s a new phenomena. Plot twists have existed since the Greeks sang about the mess-up of tragic heroes. Still, the rise of mass media has certainly created an emphasis on those plot moments.
More specifically, in the modern age, to be caught up on those plot moments is a form of cultural capital — that is, worth within a socio-economic system, much like how many Disney movies you’ve watched or your main in Super Smash Bros. You’re more likely to be excluded from pop culture jokes if you haven’t seen Disney, but you’re more likely to enter a more exclusive group if you have a Smash main, especially specific ones.
Moreover, what do spoilers actually ruin? In the grand scheme, just shock value once you inevitably reach that plot point in the work. That concept, in my opinion, really detracts from the work as a whole — after all, if it’s extremely obvious that a character is going to die, even if it’s not supposed to be, then that spoiler is all-in-all useless. A well-implemented twist like that will impact you whether or not you’ve experience the work like that, a sign of a good work, or at least good writing leading to the moment.
All of that is why I think the overarching concept of and hullabaloo over spoilers are so absurdly petty. Basically, some of us just can’t keep up, so why hold it over our heads? And why should those of us that can’t experience those works be upset by it?
WITH ALL THAT SAID,
I agree that there’s a lot of value in experiencing that moment of shock. After all, we’re talking about entertainment. Often it’s good to experience a work in its whole like that, as often that’s what the author intended. So it’s just generally respectful to allow others to approach the work in that manner.
And I’m guilty of getting annoyed at some spoilers, and protecting work — but mostly because that’s the norm. I’m part of that phenomenon, too, maybe out of a mix of cultural obligation and entertainment.
In addition, there’s some value in discussing what types of work warrant a mass, fandom-agreed spoiler warning.
For example, I beg my friends to go into the recent popular game Undertale blind — with as little information on it as possible — as the way it’s played through means that it’ll change person-by-person. Saying right off the bat exactly how certain games change based on your interactions can absolutely ruin that interaction aspect of it. Frankly, that’s a huge point of Undertale, as opposed to just experiencing the characters, plot, and gameplay, and so the community often takes care not to spoil that specific aspect of the game. Interactive media and spoilers, though, are a much more complicated and nuanced subject, and is definitely something to be talked about elsewhere.
Plus, giving spoiler warnings in the long run allows those who aren’t in a position to take their time and experience the work when they finally have a chance. Frankly, there are plots that are just that good out there, and so it’s respectful to your peers to allow them that experience.
Just in general, it’s grossly rude to mess up someone else’s experience with a work, if only because we’re all so driven and pressured to experience it in the same way. A spoiler warning is consideration of another person’s feelings and anticipation for a work. That’s all the defense of spoiler warnings I can come up with, and really, “enjoyment” is reason enough.
Trigger-Tagging Trouble
Trigger warnings often bounce back to that question — when is it worth spoiling content for safety’s sake, especially when technically, it doesn’t affect everyone? For those severely affected by certain content, as it stands, the experience of a spoiler-free work, or some works at all, is sacrificed so that they can remain safe and healthy. Of course, health and safety are the biggest priorities for many people.
The MPAA, which gives all those ratings to widely-released movies, gives a vague description of the sorts of inappropriate or upsetting content that the movie features. However, anything more specific than “sexual content” or “violence” will push a cry against both spoilers and censorship in a single shot. Even in academia, the “going in blind is better” discussion is pretty prominent. But it’s been proven that controlled exposure to triggers and phobias is actually better in the long run. (CONTROLLED exposure. Not just running into the item again and again. Which is what exposure therapy prepares you for.)
Which leads to an interesting observation — the prominent, spoilery placement of trigger warnings in many works. I feel the current implication that trigger warnings need to reveal a great amount of the work is a shallow observation of the situation and what it could evolve into.
Yes, people affected by anxiety and trauma conditions want to experience the same work as you, in the same way. These people want to experience those thrilling moments, but they want to be ready for those moments.
It’s important to note that some of us that are disturbed by one thing, though, may not be by another equally-squeamish subject. We may not even pay mind to another one. So when someone who looks for “racism” and “violence” also sees “rape,” they know to expect that aspect of a story.
At this point, the overload of extensive discussions of trigger warnings has formed hyper-focus on the concept and politics of it, as opposed to how we can practically approach them. If trigger warnings are actually about maximizing our experience with media, it’s worth our time to create smart implementation of the concept that allows everyone to win in a way.
Frankly, we’re more excited about an expansive “when to get up to pee” indicator for movies than a trigger or epilepsy warning. (That indicator seems to mostly account for guys taking a piss, considering how long most girls take. Self included.) It’s a bit silly. But I have overall faith in my peers to figure something out.
Saving The Feels
To summarize, spoiler warnings and trigger warnings are about paying attention to each other’s feelings and respecting their experience with a work of media. It’s just a bit hypocritical to mock one and not the other given both are grounded in a lot of similar fundamental concepts — specifically anticipation and how one encounters plot points.
Both spoiler warnings and trigger warnings work to maximize all of our experiences with media, which is why it’s important that we do work in the future to respect everyone’s needs and desires in how we, as consumers of pop culture, approach discussion and presentation of media. Going in blind isn’t an option for everyone, even those that wish they could, and so while we can’t perfectly fix that, we can work towards something better.
So if you’re the type to get upset over spoilers for the movie of the year that everyone’s talking about anyway, but you’re mocking your friend that was upset by a Netflix series doing X-rated sexual violence out of nowhere (which is a very frequent thing)… well, consider that emotional impact.
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