The TV Addict has had it up to here with Twitter spoilers! For the second consecutive week in a row, an inconsiderate Twitterer (Tweeter?) has needlessly spoiled a piece of entertainment that we hadn’t yet gotten around to watching. Which naturally got us thinking: Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some sort of agreed upon Twitter etiquette (or “Twitterquette”) when it came to TV spoilers? You know, a universal unspoken gentleman’s agreement between TV Twitterati as to how one might wish to conduct themselves as a courtesy to others. We sure as heck think so. Which is why we took a few moments to scribble down four friendly guidelines that if followed, would go a long way into helping contribute to making Twitter a better place for all involved. See for yourself, after the jump.
Guideline #1: As a TV Addict who loves nothing more then to encourage folks to watch television live in a last ditch effort to support the Networks’ prehistoric business model, we’re 100% behind anyone and everyone who watches television live (Commercials Yah!). Thus, if you’re not home to watch a when it airs, those of us who are shouldn’t be held responsible for anything we tweet. In fact, the onus is on you to stay off Twitter, there will — thanks in no small part to the Networks’ continued insistence on further inundating our small screens with hashtag suggestions — be spoilers!
Guideline #2: Are you still reeling from last night’s plot twist on DEXTER? Can’t believe the famous small screen face that popped up during the the Muppet movie’s most emotional scene? Well, before you alert your Twitter friends to that very fact, take a moment and ask yourself the following: By tweeting this will I spoil the experience for others? Case in point, this morning. Less than 12 hours after last night’s episode of DEXTER aired, a well-respected member of the television community took it upon themselves to tweet the following, “Curious to hear what fans of [redacted actor to avoid spoiling for others] thought of her, um, interesting turn in last night’s #Dexter.” And while we of course have no problem with anyone tweeting their feeling as per a specific show, they could have just as easily refrained from ruining the experience for others with a few minor alterations like so, “Curious to hear what #Dexter fans thought of last night’s interesting turn”. See how that works?
Guideline #3: Our respect for those who have yet to watch a show live has its limits. Or to be more specific, we’re giving you 72 hours (3 days) to catch up on your favorite show. After which, any sympathy we may feel for spoiling anything will have completely dissipated. Consider this your one and only warning.
Guideline #4: Although not really spoiler specific, we figured that since we’re all about making Twitter a better place for all involved we’d end this little rant by requesting that people stop tweeting about the following celebrities if for no other reason than the fact that they’re famous pretty much sums up everything that is wrong with our culture: With thanks in advance to our very own Twitter followers for their two cents, can we all agree to put a stop to mentioning any and all members of the Kardashian clan, Courtney Stodden, Ashton Kutcher, Paris Hilton, and the casts of Twilight, TEEN MOM and JERSEY SHORE. #sosayweall
Oh, and in case you didn’t know, you can follow us on Twitter @thetvaddict. 