Spoiler alert!

Spoiler alert: People may finally be over spoilers. \nAs all well-versed members of various online communities and Web sites for the entertainment industry know, spoilers are simply the norm. These places online are swarming with inside information about upcoming projects that may or may not be true, and some Web sites exist solely as smorgasbords of spoilers.\nIn concurrence with the explosion of the Internet, it began to seem that there was such a need for these spoilery nuggets over the last five years. People seemingly wanted to know all they could about stuff, whether it is because they just enjoyed knowing or because it gave them a sense of superiority over others.\nBut now it’s as if a switch went off in the collective heads of the online communities, and now everyone is at least a bit spoiler-phobic. This new spoiler-phobia is also changing the way users are interacting on Web sites. \nWith just a quick browsing of some well-known pop-culture Web sites, chances are that you’ll notice a user or two complaining about a piece being “too spoilery,” even if it covered something that already happened. Even worse, those interested in the comments section need to be more weary because it seems like more and more unscrupulous users have decided to spoil entire plots there. \nAll in all, it’s getting to the point where it’s smart to stay away from a site until a few days after a film comes out or an episode of your favorite show airs. Some would argue that this is a dystopian view of the Internet’s broad reach. If people are afraid to access their favorite Web pages due to fear of finding out things they didn’t want to know, this information overload doesn’t work.\n In the end, however, people should realize that a more spoiler-frightened audience will only lead to bigger and better things for the TV and film industry. With the constant worries about large portions of the audience watching their products online illegally – which clearly hurts the industries in advertising dollars and box office numbers – a shrinking number of viewers due to everyone already knowing what happens is only going to make things worse. The public’s refusal to know details about upcoming projects should lead to a stronger desire to see them when they premiere, and of course, lead to more revenue for the big studios. \nMoreover, this could be the end of a truly awful trend. It really never made sense that people would want to know major details of something before they watched it, even for someone like myself who is a recovering spoiler addict. From personal experience. I can tell you that knowing chunks of info about a program can completely destroy the viewing experience, and it’s simply not worth it just to say “I know what’s coming next.” \nThe de-mystification of spoilers is great for Internet-savvy entertainment consumers because we will all get to enjoy our favorite shows and films that much more. And that’s a fact that doesn’t need to be hidden by invisiotext.