Nonetheless–I think, in the discussion of spoilers and social protocol, it seems safer to just be cautious. Did Jace need a spoiler alert on his post? Probably not. “Mad Men Postmortem” does, in fact, suggest that he’ll be dissecting the finale in the post. What irks me, though, is the fact that there was vital plot information “above the fold.” If you tweet or FB something that’s going to show up in my stream and you reveal crucial plot information…well, that’s just not nice. Especially, as Jonathan says, within 24 hours of the ep’s airing, etc.

And, as Matt notes, in the case of reviews, all bets are off. Reviewers of the type that actually analyze (not just “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down”) have to reveal plot information. If you go looking for it, then you know what you’re going to find.

ESPN Classic is the most obvious victim of ‘spoilers’ — or is it a spoiler if it’s a famous game? But isn’t that the same question circulating around the finale of M*A*S*H?

I agree that everything is on the table when discussing media as a scholar or when spoiler warnings are given, but I tend to be very careful with them as a fan or even as a teacher, particularly, as Annie mentioned above, when people could potentially come to a series or season years after it originally aired (some of my students are just getting into Dexter and True Blood, for instance). And, yes, I wouldn’t reveal the reason beyond Hawkeye’s breakdown in the finale of M*A*S*H without an “Is anyone going to watch it?” first.

It’s interesting that the discussion here has mostly centered around “prestige” dramas, though. What about reality TV or sports? Are immediate reveals fair game in these cases? What about restating jokes or gags? My students this semester start off every Monday by doing a Larry David bit from the previous night’s Curb.

Then again, I am a spoiler-phobe. I don’t even like watching the official, “Next week on this show…” promos at the end of eps 🙂

These days, issuing a “spoiler warning” is thus a social courtesy, an acknowledgment that we consume media at different rates. That said, its absence is not necessarily a social violation. The middle ground, IMHO, is 24 hours after a broadcast, if that. I certainly don’t view things that quickly all the time, but any more than that seems unnecessarily burdensome. I just learn not to wade into possible areas that might “spoil” plot points (but which are not technically “spoilers” per se, since said episode has been broadcast). Thus, no Twitter for me this week till after I see “The Waters of Mars.” (and, please, no spoilers here! 🙂 )

That said, the dilemma speaks to a key conflict with being both media scholars and media viewers — as scholars, I don’t think many rules about spoiling need apply, but as viewers, it’s simply rude at times to reveal something. In a conference paper or class, we’re on safer ground, but in hybrid spaces like here, or Facebook, or so forth, the etiquette is so much more murky.

All abstract rambling aside, I think there should be a point of no return — if you haven’t seen a show in a year, you give up all rights to complain about spoilers, to anyone. There’s something very selfish about requiring the world to shut up just because you’re lazy, running late, or whatever. As a Wire fan, I want to talk about it with people, and am tired of being told I can’t because someone in the room hasn’t yet seen episode 1, let alone Stringer being killed by Omar. Yes, I’m going there 😉

You’re also absolutely right–this type of spoiler is certainly a phenomenon of the time-shifting era. No one would have been upset if someone had “spoiled” M*A*S*H–because anyone who cared would have had to watch it live. No spoilers.

What, then, are the ethics of spoiling on Facebook? I watched the Mad Men finale a day late, but saw many friends posting “You go, Peggy!” or “I hate you, Betty” on Sunday night. Not spoilers, per se…

Case in point: when I viewed the lawnmower episode from this season a day late, I already knew that said lawnmower would play an explosive role. I didn’t know the specifics, but I held my breath everytime the machine appeared on screen. Was the narrative suspense ruined? Heightened? Altered entirely?