Online spoilers ruin all the fun


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My name is Nicholas Slayton, and I was a spoiler addict.

No matter how hard we try to wait for the endings and plot thickeners of our favorite movies, books and shows, spoilers abound. The largest source of these are the Internet, where everything from the twists to the season finale of 24 to the death of a beloved literary character are just a click away.

My addiction to spoilers began in the summer of 2007 with two moments that drove me into an information-seeking frenzy. The first was seeing the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight in theaters. The second was catching up on Christopher Nolan’s entire filmography. I was hooked on Nolan’s work, and I wanted more. At that moment, I had to find out everything I could about The Dark Knight.

Within days, I was caught up in the spoiler hunt. I hounded movie news sites for plot summaries and downloaded leaked screenshots. I was hooked on the story before the film even opened. It was only thanks to a distracting — and addictive — alternate reality game and a strong desire not to fully ruin the film-watching experience that I abstained from looking at readily available ending spoilers.

Now, Nolan has a new film coming out, Inception, and this time I have promised myself not to even go near spoilers. But when I forced myself to look away, I asked myself, why are we so obsessed with knowing all the details anyway? Are we really that impatient?

In a word: yes. We are. The 21st century is a “need it now” society and the Internet is the ultimate tool to help us get it now. Everyone has a Blackberry or an iPhone, meaning the Internet is always nearby, and, in a world where Wikipedia entries are updated within minutes of a celebrity death, Twitter feeds give instant updates from friends and up-to-the-minute news is always online, it only makes sense that everyone knows about the latest episode of Lost before it airs.

The Internet is a smorgasbord of information just waiting to be pounced on, and the fact that spoilers abound on the Internet is just another symptom of the web’s information overload. An innocent Google search can reveal surprise-ruining information about movies, television shows, novels and even secret guests at concerts.

And it’s not as if spoilers are an underground trend for a niche market. Websites such as SpoilerFix.com have helped make revealing inside information a popular topic on the web. Even the science fiction blog io9.com features a daily article called “Morning Spoilers,” which compiles pictures, set reports and leaked casting information about the latest movies and television shows.

The worst offenders, however, are social networking sites. As the instantaneous transmitter of entertainment gossip and news, social networking sites carry spoilers to fresh eyes, whether they want it or not. When J.K. Rowling’s book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came out, people’s online statuses, Twitters and websites collectively declared the instant meme of “Snape kills Dumbledore!”

People love to share stories and trade new information, even at the expense of a surprise ending. And the rapid-fire nature of the Internet allows for it more than ever. There is a sense of instant gratification in spoilers — all the information, with none of the effort of actually experiencing the work.

We are addicted to knowledge, and while there may not be a 12-step program available for those who crave spoilers, it’s not impossible to shut them away. First, resist the urge. Most websites will warn you that they contain spoilers, giving you a chance to leave. Or try aversion therapy. Maybe replace news about movie and T.V. shows with politics or current events. Focusing on the present instead of things far away will help pass the time until you can find out the answers for yourself.

Don’t ruin a good moment just because you can find out about it beforehand. Enjoy the experience of watching the show and having it all revealed to you as it happens. It will be worth it. Why settle for instant, simple gratification when you can get the full experience with a little patience?

Inception comes out in July. And while there are many sites out there beckoning to divulge exclusive information to me, I’ve lasted this long without looking at spoilers and — like a sober alcoholic — it’s not worth it to give in now.

It’s going to be a long six months, but I am not ruining this for myself.