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Perhaps you have experienced this too. Something didn’t allow you to watch your favorite TV series The Walking Dead, but you have already got to know (spoiler alert) that the main character unexpectedly died. How come? As the loyal viewer, you downloaded the film on your laptop. Having decided to watch it later, you log into Facebook to admire selfies, photos of food, and other posts, but suddenly you see the main plot twist.It probably will happen to you again if you are one of those who are fond of TV.
The arrival of social media that enables people to know everything about current events has caused the problem when viewers unintentionally come across material that tells what occurs in a TV program beforehand.
However, why do the viewers get upset because of spoilers? Why is it interesting for us to be surprised at what occurs on particular shows? Paul Bloom, Yale psychology professor, has studied what spoilers ruin. He was amazed to discover that people simply enjoy stories and that is why they get frustrated by spoilers.
Jennifer Richler of The Atlantic states that we devote much time to reading, playing video games and watching TV, but at the same time we forget about the real world. Sometimes we even cannot tell a real fact from fiction.
The science suggests one explanation regarding why spoilers ruin TV shows we love. It clarifies that spoilers tell us one more time that a story is simply a story. In the real world, you don’t know what the future holds for you, but spoilers give such information about a certain film or drama series. Anticipation is one of the feelings that is really important while watching a new episode. Nevertheless, spoilers take it away.
Still, this small group that loves spoilers states that knowing the plot beforehand increases the experience and we pay more attention to certain details of an episode. Unfortunately, only a few viewers have such mindset.
What Should We Do in Order to Avoid Spoilers?
Grace Period that Lasts Seven Days
Sam Biddle of Gizmodo claims that when seven days are gone after the film has aired, you are allowed to talk about the show as much as you want, but during one week of protection spoilers are inexcusable.
Usage of Twivo
Jennie Lamere, a high school student, designed a nifty app Twivo that censors feeds of the Twitter users from divulging certain TV shows for a particular period of time.
Etiquette of Conversation
This might be called one of the most apparent tips. It means asking the person you talk to how much of the episode they’ve watched before you begin spoiling.
Keeping away from the Sources where You May Come across Spoilers
The best way not to lose a chance to anticipate while watching a new episode is to stay away from Facebook and Twitter and don’t talk to your friends offline before you catch up.
All in all, the most effective way to elude spoilers is to watch your favorite shows in real time!
