Spoiler Alert!

Are people more upset about spoiler alerts today than they used to be? Or do we just hear more people whining and moaning about spoiler alerts? Recently some event happened in the very popular British import, Downton Abbey. For awhile I was chuckling at all the reactions of people on Facebook. Most of them were managing to express their anger and shock without mentioning names or exact events. 

And then I was noticing some people reacting strongly to others, presumably on Facebook, that had spoiled the actual events for them. And these people were ticked. Once again, I chuckled a bit at them and scoffed. These are clearly first world problems, and we seriously need to get some perspective on things. 

And then it happened to me. Today. It was so sudden. So quick. So fast. Like a tiny ninja sneaking up behind me and slitting my throat. I barely had time to process what happened. I was scrolling through my feed over lunch break, and then I saw four simple words, "Oh no, not name!" I was stunned. Sputtering. Shaking my head. 

That's all it took. Four words. I tried to keep my cool, but I did respond in this person's comments saying the person should get an award for the best or worst spoiler alert ever. And now I know who not to get too attached to as I soon will be starting the second season. The friend responded that I (meaning me) don't know what exactly happened. True. But I am pretty sure that the recent words used such as "tragic," "shocking," etc, indicate that this character didn't simply fall in the mud while dismounting a horse.

I think this is all just more collateral damage of media saturated culture. We have all these avenues of watching shows at our leisure - DVR, streaming, downloading to your hard drives, etc. And we also have a social media that has almost become extensions of our brains, so we can immediately express our reactions to events. We no more think a thought than we then put it on Facebook. We are shocked by a turn of events in a show, and we all do this collectively shared gasp on Facebook or Twitter. It's almost as if the tail is wagging the dog now.  We don't know how to experience something without convulsively and immediately vomiting it up for everyone to see.

Yeah, I said vomit. I think the distance between our brains and Facebook is becoming as short as our mouth and the puke bucket. I'm not entirely above this. When my wife says something funny, I immediately want to share it with everyone, and sometimes I do. I suppose that's not a bad thing, but what would I have done before Facebook or Twitter or...uh....Google Plus (Bahahaha, bless Google Plus's heart )?

What would I have done without Facebook or Twitter? Cherished the moment? Wrote about it in a journal? I really can't remember anymore. I think social media has effectively rewired the way I think. And that really frightens me.

Okay, this post started off talking about spoiler alerts and has hopped, skipped and jumped into the perils of social media.  

What I really wanted to say is so what? So what if we know that Luke Skywalker's dad is Darth Vader? So what if we know she's really a man? So what if we know who Keyser Soze?  

I contend if the story is good enough, the characters are well developed, and the dialogue is rich, those spoilers will not diminish the enjoyment of a good movie or TV show. In fact, sometimes those twist endings or big reveals often overshadow the greatness of a good movie. And in some cases, no matter how amazing the twist at the end is, your movie or TV show could still suck. Yes, I'm talking to you M. Night Shyamalan, specifically in regards to The Village and to a lesser extent, Signs. 

Oh, and: Spoiler Alert! You will die at the end. Make sure your life is more than a sad ending.