As more and more people record their favorite TV shows with DVRs, it's common to come across someone who says something like "Please don't tell me about the episode of Lost, I recorded it and haven't seen it yet!"
An article by Mark Glaser at MediaShift describes this phenomenon in an article called "
TiVo Nation: The New Etiquette for Our Time-Shifted Culture". Glaser talks about how in the age before DVRs and VCRs, most people had no choice but watch TV shows live when they were broadcast. Today, DVRs are making it too easy to consume TV at our own time tables. And that means many people are very conscious about avoiding spoilers until they watch the shows they've recorded.
Glaser points out that you essentially need to have a total media black out so you don't hear about any spoilers:
"In a time-shifted world, potential spoilers lurk around every corner — and not just in places you expect. You might hear DJs on FM radio commenting on a local football game’s outcome, even though it’s not a sports show. You might walk into a corner convenience store to pick up some food and see a game on TV there, ruining what happened."
As a result there's a need for a new kind of etiquette for the DVR age. I call it "
Spoiler Etiquette." Here are some ideas how to avoid spoiling the fun for others.
Ask If They Watched A Show. Before starting a conversation about a current TV show, it's courteous to ask if they've watched a show. Blurting out something like, "Oh my god, can you believe that Jack made it out of the island on Lost?" can get you in lots of trouble. Slow down and make sure that people you speak to have either already seen the show, or don't care if you spoil it for them. Ask up front if they've watched or recorded the TV show you're discussing.
Be Careful You're Not Overheard. Today's DVR "Spoiler Etiquette" requires that you're careful that you're not speaking too loudly, or that people around can't hear you when you discuss TV. If you're standing in line at the grocery store or standing around the water cooler at work, people around you will be able to listen to you spoil the "Desperate Housewives" cliffhanger episode. Be aware where you are and who might be listening in.
Speak Out First. If you're in total media blackout mode and your TV buddy starts talking about your favorite show, interrupt them and tell them you haven't watched and want to avoid spoilers. Speaking out first is easier when you know that your friends might call you up after a TV show airs or have a sports buddy who regularly talk to about last night's game. Pre-empt the conversation by stating something like: "Hey I haven't watched the Patriots-Giants game from last night yet, please don't tell me about it!"
Watch the Show As Soon As Possible. One sure way to avoid having your favorite show spoiled is to watch the show live, or as close to live as possible. That's not always possible, however. With sporting events, people will be much more anxious to know who won the game. Besides, do you think you can really avoid hearing anything about the Super Bowl? With regular TV shows it's best to watch it the same night it airs, or within the next few days. After all, you'll lose out talking about the show with your friends and as more days pass, and the chances of spoilers will increase.
Don't Worry To Much About Spoilers. It's not possible to expect to go through a total media blackout to avoid spoilers. In fact, if you work in a big office or have lots of friends, it's almost inevitable that you'll hear something about the show you're trying to avoid. Avoiding the Internet, TV, radio or casual conversation is virtually impossible unless you're a hermit. Relax and try not to take it too seriously and expect some spoilers no matter how hard you try.
Have Something Else to Discuss. Avoid talking about current TV shows. Turn the conversation to something else: "How about those Patriots?" Oh wait, someone may have recorded the show last week and not seen it yet. Perhaps the best thing to do is to talk about current events or celebrity gossip. How about: "Can you believe Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant?"
[tags] spoilers, DVR, digital video recorder, etiquette, spoiler etiquette, Tivo [/tags]
[Photo courtesy of
Jill Greenseth via Flickr.]
Update: See my article last year
about how DVRs are ruining water cooler conversations.
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