How to avoid TV spoilers online, in the wake of Succession’s big death

A major TV event took place on Sunday night. I’m not going to say more, because a) that’s not what this post is about, and b) the internet is getting quite heated about other people discussing it on social media. Instead, we can have an important discussion together about how to avoid spoilers online for the year 2023.

Listen, I get it. You don’t always have time to watch the water-cooler TV show on the night the episode airs, and sometimes there’s a whole work day (or more than one!) Between you and the time you have to watch it, there are some things you need to do. But there’s one neat little trick that will save you from getting spoiled before you’re ready.

Log off! Log off immediately!

Consider the various areas on the internet where this topic is being discussed. (Social media, news sites, push notifications from applications, etc.) Don’t go there.

Twitter has changed a lot since its inception. One of Twitter’s most valuable aspects is the ability to react quickly to major television events. The Red Wedding wouldn’t be the cultural touchstone it is without thousands of people crying on Twitter when it happened. It was more recent with Last of UsPlease see the following: House of the DragonBoth were much more fun because they felt likeEveryone It was all happening simultaneously.

Sports fans have experienced this for years and have had to come up with their own methods and solutions to avoid scores if they’re watching later. I can not stop laughing at the idea of dozens of people insisting everyone else couldn’t tweet about the unbelievable final at-bat of the World Baseball Classic just because they hadn’t watched it yet. The joy of watching people respond in real time together is amazing, making TV and Twitter a shared experience.

While the internet has complicated matters, this isn’t a new solution. The internet has many episodes. ScrubsAnd How I Met Your Mother That is all about characters trying to not find out what actually happened on a television program that was recorded. (Steven Soderbergh’s Logan LuckyThis is the most important piece yet. You had to make sure you didn’t get spoilt before the internet.).

That doesn’t mean it’s fair game for people to just yell spoilers at you, but that’s (mostly) not what’s happening here. Twitter allows people to discuss television shows, among other things. It’s also a place where entertainment websites report on movies and shows as they occur. If you don’t have to use Twitter (or the whole internet), you can do just fine.).

Even if you do encounter a plot point ahead of time, there’s no reason that should ruin the show or movie you’re about to watch. Art is not just a Wikipedia listing of historical events. How It is important to show things as they are. What is being depicted — even if surprises and twists are always fun. If knowing something that happens means you don’t enjoy the show anymore… maybe it wasn’t that good to begin with?

While it feels bad to get spoiled on something you were looking forward to watching, it’s not, in fact, fair to insist other people stop discussing it because your schedule is different. You are not the main character of the internet, and the rest of online does not owe it to you to be mum about something just because you haven’t caught up yet. It’s true. You responsibility to keep yourself spoiler-free, not everyone else’s.