The politics of online spoilers

[matgb]

One of the things that always bugs me online is different peoples reactions to plot 'spoilers' for media things—unpredictable and at times downright weird, as Nick Mamatas demonstrated last month. Now me, I tend to seek them out for shows I like—before the internet I had a subscription to SFX partially for the spoiler zone section, I loved reading about shows way in advance and knowing what would happen. But then I tend to rewatch stuff I like a lot anyway. So, inspired by this old poll at nmg's, I thought I'd update it a bit.

Warning though, below the fold are some minor spoilers for recent films such as Iron Man, Harry Potter 5 and Spiderman, and also endings/character reveals for Hamlet, Sixth Sense, Citizen Kane, the Star Wars trilogy, Soylent Green and Fight Club. Nothing is revealed that isn't on this classic t-shirt but if you really are that averse, just scroll to the last question...

[Poll #1199471]

Obviously some things, like the end of a genuine mystery, are worth hiding if that's how it's written—knowing who did it never seemed to hurt my enjoyment of Columbo though, and a chunk of my reading is always history books where, y'know, I normally know the ending. It's not what happens that matters to me, it's how—I'm there for the ride, not the big splash at the bottom. You?

Comments

[frightened.livejournal.com]

I think, for me, it depends how much it's an active and beloved fandom, and how likely I am to see the real thing sooner rather than later. Lost, for instance, I gleefully spoiled myself for, because it didn't look like I was gonna be able to finish season 3 for aaaaaages, and I was getting quite pissed-off with it. But I got really upset when I was spoiled - broadly, I know what happens to the protagonists but not why or how - for the series finale of Supernatural, because I really enjoy watching it and it's starting again this week. And I'm spoiler-free for Battlestar Galactica, because I love how that show can shock me.

I do remember reading the episode spoilers in the X-Files magazine, though, because these future seasons happened in the magical lands of America and Sky TV, and I couldn't imagine waiting that long to see them.