How long is acceptable to reveal spoilers from TV shows and movies?

Spoilers can ruin your favorite movie or series. So, what is the acceptable time to wait to reveal that juicy spoiler?

Spoilers are those annoying things that ruin a movie or series and sometimes even friendships. People get excited when they watch that long-awaited movie or the season finale of their favorite series. But, is it ok to jump on social media right away telling the world what you have learned before other’s have a chance to view it?

For example, Fear the Walking Dead has been offering the current episodes 48 hours in advance. So, when is it acceptable to discuss any type of spoilers from these early release episodes?

An article on LeicestershireLive had this to say about the wait time:

"When it comes to new films at the cinema, the guide reckons you should wait 10 days before discussing film spoilers – that aims to balance letting people talk about films and giving everyone time to watch them.On the subject of TV spoilers, the guide is a lot more generous, only requiring people wait 33 hours after a TV show airs before discussing spoilers."

The guide they are talking about was created by MusicMagpie. After much research and polling, they created A Modern Day Guide to Spoiler Etiquette.  It is a very interesting look at being respectful to others regarding major spoilers. It is great to see the lengths people go to in order to avoid them. There are several tactics which could be used, such as avoiding social media, unfollowing a brand or person, to even calling off sick from work.

Personally, I avoid social media if I don’t get to watch The Walking Dead when it airs. I don’t want to risk learning anything that happened until I actually see it. As far as movies, I just hope that I don’t read anything that will spoil it for me.

But, what about Netflix series that release the whole season at a time? Or British shows that air way ahead of the US release dates?

We are in an age where everyone wants to be the first to know about and to share important information. Whether that is news, spoilers, breakups, or other nuggets, news can travel fast. We get everything so fast because of the internet. So, I think it is partly each person’s responsibility to avoid places they will encounter spoilers. Now don’t @ me! I am not saying it is entirely your responsibility. But, if you know people who live tweet during TWD, mute them until you have time to watch the show.

Avoiding spoilers for popular shows like The Walking Dead can be tricky, but it is possible. And knowing how to be respectful about information you have is equally important as avoiding or dodging those places where the information might be. While you don’t need to follow the rules from A Modern Day Guide to Spoiler Etiquette, doing so might help to avoid seeing or posting spoilers online.