“Spoilers ” A dirty word for some, while for others, a way to quench the thirst for knowing what happens next.
Dictionary.com defines a spoiler as “ information about a plot or event in a movie, book, or show that may spoil the suspense or surprise”. Nowadays though, the meaning of the word encompasses a wider spectrum . Basically, anything and everything about the book or movie that wasn’t revealed in the blurb/trailer is usually considered a spoiler.
In a way, spoilers are relative from person to person. While someone may not consider a tidbit of information to be a spoiler or not mind it, another person can consider the same piece of information as a major spoiler.
My Two Cents
Personally speaking, I am not a fan of spoilers. And anyone who intentionally spoils stuff is automatically blacklisted for me. What’s even more annoying is that some people just don’t care that they are ruining a highly anticipated experience for someone and are unwilling to accept that they may have done something wrong.
One of the recent examples for this is Avengers: Infinity Wars. The film makers went to great lengths to prevent spoilers from being leaked, so far as to prepone the release of the movie. But I still know people who spread the dreaded spoilers and for what? I really wouldn’t know.
Are Spoilers Always Bad?
While usually considered as the bane of one’s existence, spoilers are not always ‘bad’.
According to a study conducted at University of California, San Diego knowing the ending of a story before you read it doesn’t hurt the experience of the story. It actually makes you enjoy the story more. This is the “Spoiler Paradox.”
Although this might not apply to everyone, we all know that one person who likes to read the last page of the book first and can’t resist knowing how the climax of the suspense.
There are instances when people spoil the story yourself. This usually happens when the ending was a cliffhanger and the waiting for the next part is too much of a torture to put yourself through. For me, when I read the plot on wikipedia because I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a sequel, I usually lose interest in reading the actual book. I have left a few good series half-way including Divergent and The Selection due to this. I think that when this happens, you have got no one to blame but yourself.
Whichever side of the spoiler debate you may fall on, it’s important to remember that spoiling something for someone who does not wish to be spoiled is a big NO NO and doing so will probably get you a lot of well deserved backlash.
Here’s what some of my fellow bloggers have to say on how they feel about spoilers:
Spoilers hinder the experience. So, they are a big no, no.
– Aparna Prabhu, The Thought Scribbler’s Blog
I don’t really mind spoilers, because I care more about how the story or the thing that was spoiled is made in the book or film, the atmosphere, the writing, the acting – I care more about that I guess.
– Andreea, Cheeky Lines
I hate spoilers! Especially for books. I sometimes don’t even read the summary, that’s how far away from spoilers I want to be!
– Lexxie, (un)Conventional Bookviews
What kind of relationship do you have with spoilers? Love or Hate? Do share in the comments!
Cheers,
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