Spoiler Alert! How do you feel about spoilers?

[Gen]

Let's talk about spoilers! Urban Dictionary definition of a spoiler:

When someone reveals a previously unknown aspect of something which you likely would have rather learned on your own.

*discussions of art media such as video games, movies, etc. especially vulnerable.

Spoilers of movies/TV shows/etc are super common now with the internet and social media.

Do YOU care about getting spoiled for things?
Do you take steps to avoid spoilers (avoiding social media until you've seen it, unfollowing spoiler-y folks, etc)?
Do you think people should avoid posting potential spoilers on their open social media accounts?
And for how long do you think something is considered a spoiler?

 

[Gen]

I was inspired to post this because in the Star Wars thread, people were saying things like "I won't say too much because of spoilers" - and to me, a thread dedicated to that movie is TOTALLY fair game to post spoilers in. Like, I read the Walking Dead thread on here but I never ever open it until I'm caught up because obviously I expect discussion of the show in there. (And Amber did add a nice note to this section that spoilers might be lurking in threads!)

But - I totally appreciate people trying to avoid spoilering. I got spoiled for Star Wars by someone on Twitter Thankfully there were so many rumours about the movie and fake spoilers that I didn't really believe it but it was still a bummer.

So to answer my own questions!

YES - I hate getting spoiled. I like surprises & it sucks if you can't see something on the literal first showing, or watch a TV show as it airs on east coast feed, that you have to be on high alert.

YES - I take steps to avoid getting spoiled. I unfollow or mute people who I know live tweet things like TWD. I try to avoid social media in general, especially Tumblr because people post gifs instantly. Reddit was a minefield of spoilers popping up in unrelated threads so I avoided that until I saw Star Wars.

I think it would be nice if people would either be more mindful of posting spoilers (which to be fair, most people are) or would be like "hey I'm gonna live tweet this, fyi there will be spoilers". It's their account obviously but I think it's shitty to knowingly ruin someone else's good time when it's pretty easy to just....not? To me it is rude but I get that people are obviously excited and like to talk about it. It's certainly a different world nowadays, with how we communicate and how quickly you CAN access media so people expect that you SHOULD, if you care.

Timeline for spoilers...I probably won't talk about Star Wars openly for at least a few months? I guess I don't really have a specific timeline. I spoiled the original Star Wars trilogy for a friend a few months back but that has been decades so I think it's fair, lol. Generally I try to keep my social media spoiler-free from most things for a while. In person I'd obviously only bring it up if the person either had seen it or didn't care.

I did see someone complaining that they clicked on an article discussing Rey from Star Wars role in the film, and complaining they got spoiled. I think that's on you, lol. Anything like an article about the film or a thread here, or something like that, is kind of "click at your own peril" to me.

 

[QuietLurker69]

Do YOU care about getting spoiled for things?
Do you take steps to avoid spoilers (avoiding social media until you've seen it, unfollowing spoiler-y folks, etc)?
Do you think people should avoid posting potential spoilers on their open social media accounts?
And for how long do you think something is considered a spoiler?


On a scale of couldn't care less to I will kill you if you spoil this for me. I am much closer to the former. I probably care less than the average person. If it is something really old probably won't care at all since it is really old. I've probably already know the plot, and am mostly watching it for the adventure. Force awakens is new though so I'd be a little more emotional about that.

I don't take any big steps other than not reading articles that relate to the show. Not going on Yik yak, other then that not much

Obviously you know what your doing if you spoil the plot of a new movie. So I would say even though I care less then other people. Not spoiling the movie is something that people should do.

I think if it has been a couple of months. You shouldn't be surprised if someone on TV or something " "accidentally" spoils a plot

 

[Nordling]

Yeah, I try to respect people who hate spoilers but I find the concept silly on a personal level. If spoilers were such a big deal, why does anyone still watch Shakespearian plays? I enjoy a movie, book or show for the journey, not for how it's going to end.

 

[Gen]

Yeah, I try to respect people who hate spoilers but I find the concept silly on a personal level. If spoilers were such a big deal, why does anyone still watch Shakespearian plays? I enjoy a movie, book or show for the journey, not for how it's going to end.

For me, I just like the surprise of seeing something for the first time! Like the tension that builds up and stuff. I still enjoy things the second time around, or if they've been spoiled, but I like the experience of not knowing! It adds to the experience for me.

The Walking Dead more than anything else, because people are constantly at risk of dying, I feel like if it's spoiled, it impacts the enjoyment for me a lot. I guess because they're often in life-or-death situations. So I'd care more about that, than something like The Office. Anything rather high stakes matters more I guess? For example when I read Gone Girl, I had no clue what would happen and I got to enjoy a really good shock! I think if I'd known, I'd have enjoyed the book less.

My friend who always spoils TWD started watching Breaking Bad for the first time and it took EVERYTHING in me not to send her a detailed summary, hahah.

Either way I do appreciate people who don't care about spoilers but still take care to avoid them

 

[Moonsunit]

I develop my own opinions and don't let spoilers bother me.

 

[ACFFAN69]

Do YOU care about getting spoiled for things?

I can appreciate a good piece of fiction without the surprise of not knowing what's going to happen. I'm usually more into the character development and story-arc anyways. It doesn't bother me knowing if ______ is going to live or die, what's more important is the emotions it brings forth when viewing it. Some pieces of fiction I'll even actively go out and spoil for myself because I'm too excited to be able to wait (for example if someone were to release spoilers of "Winds of Winter" I'd definitely actively read it before the book).

I'm a huge fan of repeat watching a good piece of art. In fact I usually find myself enjoying things more on rewatch.

The only thing I care about being spoiled are MMA or Muay Thai events. One of the biggest aspects of that form of entertainment for me is the surprise factor, losing that definitely influences my excitement level when watching fights.

Do you take steps to avoid spoilers (avoiding social media until you've seen it, unfollowing spoiler-y folks, etc)?

I'll avoid certain forums and threads until I've watched an MMA event. As mentioned above, I don't care so much about fictional art being spoiled.

I find it silly when people put spoiler tags up or they outright avoid talking about a plot in a thread designed for a show, movie, book or sports event already released. If someone doesn't want to be spoiled, it should be on that person to avoid going into discussions about it until they've watched it. I do see the argument that they just want to see how people think of the movie/show before seeing it, but there are actual review sites designed for that purpose they should be using instead.

Do you think people should avoid posting potential spoilers on their open social media accounts?

Yes. It's one thing to expect people that don't want to be spoiled to avoid going into threads/discusssions created for it, it's whole other unfair thing to expect them to not go on the internet at all until they've seen it.

And for how long do you think something is considered a spoiler?

I personally go by the rule of "if it's not released on dvd then it shouldn't be spoiled over social media". For TV shows: "if it's the latest episode, don't spoil it until the next episode is shown, or the following week for the last episode of the season".

Edit addendum: The mentality of "not spoiling anything in a thread discussing a show" always ends up silly because no one ends up optimally happy. Sure enough those that haven't seen the show reading the thread will end up being spoiled by one guy that posts spoilers, while 90% of the people in the thread skirt around talking about what they really want to.

 

[Gen]

I develop my own opinions and don't let spoilers bother me.

Curious about the first part of your post. I don't think it has anything to do with developing your own opinions? It's not like "I read a review that said Mad Max sucked so now I think Mad Max sucks", it's like "I read a review that said Mad Max was actually a dream all along* and now the surprise factor is gone". Maybe I'm misinterpreting your point?

*This is not a real Mad Max spoiler, at least as far as I know

 

[Sevrin]

I develop my own opinions and don't let spoilers bother me.

I think you're confusing spoilers with reviews.

 

[Moonsunit]

Maybe my wording and thought process were working in different time zones. I guess because spoilers sometimes make people develop an opinion about a movie before they even watch it is why I worded myself the way I did. Example: (I was just told that in the last Mad Max movie it was revealed that Max was dreaming everything. "Mad Max was all a dream? WTF this whole franchise blows ass!! I'm not even going to watch the movie now.")

To keep things simple I suppose I should have simply said "Spoilers don't bother me".

 

[zippypinhead]

I like spoilers. I tend to seek them out. In fact, I subscribe to the theory that knowing all the surprises going into a thing actually makes for a more enjoyable experience. It feels like trading up to gain a better understanding of the material I'm consuming. Knowing what's to come is not the same thing as experiencing it, and a slow burn of anticipation beats the hell out of the jolt of adrenaline that comes with surprises.

 

[Sevrin]

I like spoilers. I tend to seek them out. In fact, I subscribe to the theory that knowing all the surprises going into a thing actually makes for a more enjoyable experience. It feels like trading up to gain a better understanding of the material I'm consuming. Knowing what's to come is not the same thing as experiencing it, and a slow burn of anticipation beats the hell out of the jolt of adrenaline that comes with surprises.

Isn't that kind of like godmode for movies? To each his or her own, but I think that indifference to how the author meant the narrative to be experienced shows a lack of respect for their art.

 

[gothicfeline]

oddly spoiling a movie or show : if I ask I it that I want the spoiler.
on spoiling a book: even if I ask do you dare tell me

 

[LuckySmiles]

fucking hate itttt. I don't even like when people tell me how much they think I'll like something I was going to watch anyway. My expectations get too high! Anytime someone says "omg this is hilarious you have to see it" I seem to never laugh ever. I don't know what it is.
Don't kill the jokes beforehand, don't tell me anything about anything I'm going to watch. No hints whatsoever. But I just like to be surprised. And I'm hard to surprise so let me have some shows!

I have a friend who always wants to know what happens first and sometimes ruins things for me. And if I've seen something first and watch it again with them will ask ME for all the spoilers and I refuse to tell.

We also share the same hulu account (haha in different houses= cheap) And they'll be like "oh man remember my friend who did that thing one time at that party. Keep that in mind when you watch the last episode of family guy."

what...oh... ok... ha..........ha..

 

[mynameisbob84]

I just had a pretty huge Star Wars spoilers thrust in my face and I'm still pretty fucking salty about it. I can't afford to go see it until after Christmas so I've been careful to avoid any sites/threads that are likely to contain spoilers and I've been careful what I click on on social media. I THOUGHT that clicking on a tweet about women's football wouldn't contain anything related to Star Wars but some thundering cunt had taken it upon him/herself (why do I get the impression it's a dude?) to post, as the first comment to a tweet regarding women's football, "lol [redacted] and [redacted] [redacted] in the new Star Wars lol" (to be clear, he didn't redact anything, I'm doing so now in a bid to not be a complete prick). So yeah, I'm pretty anti-spoiler.

I think anything professionally published should come with a spoiler-warning, and anything posted by your mate on social media should be posted with at least some consideration for the people following them. If it's a TV show, wait at least a couple of days since it aired before you blurt out any finer plot points. If it's a movie, wait as long as you can, ideally until the end of the theatrical run. If you want to talk about it, do so without referencing specific plot points. If you absolutely, positively, must discuss the plot of a film on social media (I don't know why you would though), then at least throw up a spoiler warning in advance to give people a chance to skip it.

 

[Shaun__]

Spoilers are not a big deal to me, but I understand that some people are very passionate about some media properties. So I try to avoid taking that excitement away from them. Spoilers can get to the point of ridiculousness though when the studios start releasing trailers. I do not care about the Terminator franchise, but the Terminator Genisys trailer was totally inexcusable and turned me off from even seeing the movie.

 

[Violet Dawn]

I hate some spoilers but if in a movie something really grisly is about to happen or someone who I enjoy dies (game of thrones) I want to know. So I ruin it for myself in hopes of avoiding emotional trauma. xD

 

[fandango]

Do YOU care about getting spoiled for things?

• Yes I hate them so much. Especially for something I'm really excited about seeing. If someone had of spoiled Star Wars I would have hunted them down and cut them in half with a lightsabre.

Do you take steps to avoid spoilers (avoiding social media until you've seen it, unfollowing spoiler-y folks, etc)?

• Yep big time. I didnt see the Star Wars movie until Sunday so since the movie came out I went totally off social media, avoided any websites I knew posted spoilers in their links, dodged any reviews also switched over when I saw anything that had an interview with any of the stars, heck I didn't even watch the trailers for Star Wars because thats too much of a spoiler to me. For something I'm really excited to see I want to know as little as possible so everything is totally new to me as I'm seeing it for the first time.

Do you think people should avoid posting potential spoilers on their open social media accounts?

• Not sure. I definitely think people should say if they're about to post a spoiler but I feel like it's more the responsibilty of the person who hates spoilers to expect it and avoid it. It's like the people who are offended by everything, you cant expect to silence people or have them only say what you want so you have to either deal with it or avoid the people you know will be saying things you dont want to hear.

And for how long do you think something is considered a spoiler?

• Until you've seen it. If you haven't seen the original trilogy and someone blurts out the relationship between Luke and Darth Vader it would still be a spoiler even today.

 

[Lexi Emerson]

I hate spoilers when it comes to new stuff. Brand new movie that just came into theaters? Don't spoil it. TV epsiode that aired for the first time that night? I have Hulu and have to wait till the next day for a lot of stuff so yeah fuck people that spoil that stuff. Anything not brand new though, I don't expect people to keep quiet about forever and don't really get upset by it. Sometimes I'll see a spoiler on Imgur for like an older show that I am planning on eventually watching and get a little bummed but that's my own fault for not watching it yet. Haha!

Someone spoiled the finale of Scream Queens literally right after it happened (again I had to wait for Hulu to post it) on Twitter and I was so upset! Let wait a little bit at least! ):

 

[zippypinhead]

Isn't that kind of like godmode for movies? To each his or her own, but I think that indifference to how the author meant the narrative to be experienced shows a lack of respect for their art.

While I find that perspective interesting, I have to say, I couldn't disagree more.

Storytelling, like all communication, is a two-way street, and an author's intent can only go so far. Deferring so wholly to what one might perceive as how the author might have meant a narrative to be experienced leads to a slippery slope that, at best, becomes wildly impractical pretty quickly. We have real-world examples of that being the case. Hell, we have Star Wars examples of that being the case. At worst, it's a reliance upon fashionable etiquette that stifles organic discourse, which is maybe the worst fate a work of art could suffer.

On a personal level, I'll reveal my true nerdiness to the world by admitting that I actually have spent the last couple of days writing a many-thousand-word response to this, complete with half a dozen linked corroborating sources to illustrate the points I raised. It's something I've done on this forum before, usually centered around fairly light pop culture debates like this one, and it's never very well received, so I won't post it. But I bring it up because I think it shows well enough how I interact with stuff that interests me. I really get off on things like research, and that extends to how I take my entertainment, too. My greatest joy comes not from being surprised, but rather witnessing a storyteller build to the surprise. Living through spoilers tends to be pretty lost on me. I don't enjoy them. Frankly, I mostly don't even get the point of them. So, I'd be indifferent to how the author meant for me to experience their work, regardless. And, that being the case, I don't think it's particularly fair to feel browbeaten toward diminishing my own personal enjoyment of a work in order to fall in line with the expectations or social pressures applied by too-interested third parties (and never the artists themselves, by the way.)

 

[Gen]

And, that being the case, I don't think it's particularly fair to feel browbeaten toward diminishing my own personal enjoyment of a work in order to fall in line with the expectations or social pressures applied by too-interested third parties (and never the artists themselves, by the way.)

I'd be interested in reading your post, if you have it still!

Do you mean browbeaten as in "this is the right/wrong way to enjoy the work" or browbeaten by people saying "don't share spoilers"? Curious about the last part!

 

[zippypinhead]

I'd be interested in reading your post, if you have it still!

Do you mean browbeaten as in "this is the right/wrong way to enjoy the work" or browbeaten by people saying "don't share spoilers"? Curious about the last part!

Both, depending upon the situation. Obviously, nobody likes to have a run-in with the Fun Police, so I suspect I'm not the only person who bristles at the idea of being told how I'm supposed to enjoy something. As for "don't share spoilers," I generally think it's a case of etiquette being used as a weapon too often to stifle natural conversation, and I'm not a fan of that, either.

Maybe I will post the monster. I get into this stuff with a bit more depth. I'll see if I can't perhaps break it up or make it more palatable somehow.

 

[Shaun__]

How do models avoid spoilers when all of their communication is written, and dickish jeky trolls abound?

 

[JerryBoBerry]

I was inspired to post this because in the Star Wars thread, people were saying things like "I won't say too much because of spoilers" - and to me, a thread dedicated to that movie is TOTALLY fair game to post spoilers in. Like, I read the Walking Dead thread on here but I never ever open it until I'm caught up because obviously I expect discussion of the show in there. (And Amber did add a nice note to this section that spoilers might be lurking in threads!)

For me it depends. If I'm in a thread devoted to one show/movie/book then I'm a little more relaxed about anything goes. That said if it's a new big release I'll still use the 'spoiler' button to hide it. I figure if you are reading the thread, and you click my spoiler button, then that releases me from all blame if it gets spoiled for someone.

Then after enough time has passed that anyone dying to see it has had the opportunity, I'll usually not even bother with the spoiler button either. After the DVD/Bluray is released...forget it. I don't bother worrying about it at all.

Personally I don't care I happen across a spoiler. I can still enjoy it even after knowing. To tell the truth I usually figure out the 'surprise' in most movies long before they reveal it anyway. Star Wars? I didn't know anything about it before going in. Hadn't even watched the trailers. Yet that plot twist was so predictable I was waiting over an hour for the movie to get to it. Sixth Sense I went with friends. Five minutes in I wrote 'Bruce Willis is a dead guy' on a piece of paper and had my friend put it in his pocket to read after the movie.

At this point in my life I've seen enough movies to know there are no more original plots left in Hollywood. So it's not really a spoiler if you just guess which plot they are ripping off from some other movie.

Stephen Kings tweet after people got pissed at him 'spoiling' Joffrey's death, even though the books had been out over a decade sums it up for me.

 

[DaddyDominant]

Normally I don't care about spoilers, though I did want to go into TFA without knowing too much about it.

Normally, I don't hide behind spoiler tags, but seeing as the movie JUST came out and some of us have been waiting for 30 years for a good star wars movie I don't want to ruin it for someone.

Having said that, with how many tickets it sold I'm thinking spoilers are non-factor on Monday.

 

[BettyDemure]

Do YOU care about getting spoiled for things?
Depends on what it is. Some guy in the line to the Sixth Sense (Spoiler alert incoming for anyone that hasn't seen it, stop now and skip to the next question) actually turned to his friend and said, "you're going to love it when it turns out the main character is a ghost!". Wow, thanks dude...everyone around him just sort of gave him stink eye. That was a dick move.

Do you take steps to avoid spoilers (avoiding social media until you've seen it, unfollowing spoiler-y folks, etc)?
I try not to give spoilers without any sort of warning and I'd appreciate if people were going to give spoilers they'd do the same.

Do you think people should avoid posting potential spoilers on their open social media accounts?
As long as it comes with a warning, e.g. "stop now, spoilers ahead", no. Post what you want, just be polite and give a little warning for those trying to avoid spoilers.

And for how long do you think something is considered a spoiler?
I have no idea who has seen what movie, so I assume spoilers are in effect until I know otherwise. Though, at this point, I'm pretty sure everyone and their mother knows who Luke's real father is (even so, I hesitate to mention it).

 

[Anatevka]

Someone spoiled SW:TFA for me on Facebook before it even came out. Midnight showings used to be a thing, but I saw it on Thursday at 10PM. Anyway, I don't always mind spoilers, but Star Wars and Pretty Little Liars are two things I will NOT be happy if someone spoils.

Although I did read the PLL DaisyGate spoilers, which were spot-on. But my two BFFs and I are in our 30s and are completely obsessed with a show about high school girls.


But I think spoilers have a shelf life; if you haven't seen Star Wars yet, I don't care to spoil it for you if you see something I've posted. If you're any kind of fan, you've probably seen it already.

 

[SoniaSilk]

I don't mind but some people do care and I care about people in general. Why ruin something a person would like to watch/read?

 

[I_Am_FireDawg]

I vary on this a lot. A LOT. And it could actually be different from show to show, book to book, movie to movie. Even by the week or by the day.
Some stuff I will actively hunt out spoilers to see if a show is worth bing watching a season of or if I should move on to another show. Other times I'll hunt them down to see if there will be any interesting things rumored for the rest of the season as far as guest stars or plot twists. And then other times sometimes even for the same shows I want nothing to do with the spoilers and will be pissed to see something.