In the past, watching television was a pretty personal activity. You watched the episode, discussed it with friends afterwards, and allowed the plot to develop naturally. Social media has drastically altered the experience in the modern day, and not always in a positive way. Twitter / x, take, talk, Instagram, and other platforms are increasingly influencing how shows are reviewed, analyzed, and evaluated, often before viewers have had a chance to engage with the text correctly. In many respects, social media now actively disrupts television rather than merely reacting to it.
Spoilers are one of the most obvious ways that social media “ruins” television. Major story surprises or revelations are revealed minutes after an episode airs because algorithms encourage speed rather than civility. Trending hashtags, memes, or even thumbnails often expose viewers, even those who try to avoid spoilers. This weekend, storytelling reduces narrative tension, especially for serialized plays that depend on emotional buildup and surprise. For example, the new Stranger Things man you were excited about coming in was ruined by social media and people exposing what goes on before others could get to it.
Reaction culture, and which shows are evaluated promptly and collectively, is also fostered by social media. The audience's perception of the entire series might be shaped by a single episode, or even a single scene, that causes viral outrage or admiration. Once again, The Stranger Things season finale can be seen as an example of this, with many fans speculating about a new episode because of how it ended. In contrast, others enjoyed how the ending was finalized. Viewers are frequently influenced by prevailing web narratives rather than developing their own opinions (“ this show fell off,” this character is problematic The Writer's ruined everything”). As a result, substance is discouraged, and complicated texts are reduced to trendy ideas intended for likes and retweets.
The emergence of toxic fandoms is another problem. Online communities can help people connect, but they can also put writers, performers, and other fans under pressure. Viewers who interrupt the show differently are ridiculed or attacked, writers are accused of quote betraying " fans, and actors are harassed over fictional character choices. For example, The Bear, Game of Thrones, and Euphoria show how artistic purpose may be overshadowed by online reactions and potentially affect future decisions.
Lastly, social media transforms TV series from cultural texts into content factories. Shoes are frequently classified as‘good' or ‘bad' depending on how well they perform online rather than on how well they tell a story, and scenes are assessed based on mean potential rather than on narrative value. This commodification is consistent with the general capitalist logic, and engagement metrics, rather than meaning, are used to commodify cultural items.
You make an interesting case here Kobe. I myself do this all the time - Remove social media, particularly X and Instagram, for days before I see certain movies such as Marvel and Star Wars. It's quite frustrating to say the least. You bring up a very interesting point that speaks volumes to parts of our culture today. Reaction culture is essentially in everything today, ruining motivation and drive to do almost everything in the traditional way. Everyone seemingly wants wants wants the outcome or correct answer immediately. We see this through ChatGPT, social media, and more mediums. Originality and creativity are diminishing, and we are getting lazier in the grand scheme of things. Might be a bit harsh to say in comparison to just wanting to know the outcome of a show like stranger things, but reaction culture really is more and more prevalent in our society with just about everything.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with your argument here, Kobe. As someone who was super excited to watch the Stranger Things finale, I had to delete my Instagram app so I wouldn't accidentally open it and see spoilers. I have to do the same thing with one of my favorite TV shows, "Survivor" because I don't have cable, so I have to watch it on the CBS website when they post it the next day. It gets really aggravating, and I definitely believe reaction culture plays a huge role in this--which is stupid in my opinion. I also believe toxic fandoms are a major problem. As someone who's recently getting into specific animes, it is hard to talk about it to others who know everything and can't help but subtly or fully spoil the ending. A few months ago I started watching "Demon Slayer" and when I would look up fanart on Pinterest, most of it were spoilers of the show, which made it hard for me to want to continue watching. Reacting culture definitely has society in a chokehold.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with this argument. I am not a person who watches a show right when it comes out. If there are weekly episodes, like Dancing With The Stars, I am usually a day or two behind in watching the new episode. By that time, I had seen all of the spoilers about the episode, and I hadn't even watched a single dance. If I have already seen everyone discussing how they thought Robert's dance was off that week, for example, then I will likely have a distorted perception of his dance when I watch it, due to the negative comments I have seen previously. I also do think social media is making people have a "mob" mentality when it comes to movies, shows and music. The loudest opinions across social media tend to become what the majority generally thinks about a new movie release, which could harm or benefit the movie. Social media is killing people's genuine thoughts and ideas about products, and allowing us to be lazy and follow other opinions that are being pushed at us.
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