The Morning After Game of Thrones: Social Media "Etiquette"

The Night is Dark and Full of Spoilers

It's come, it's been awesome and it's left us once again. Game of Thrones has finished off its sixth season, leaving fanboys and fangirls everywhere in a post-coital-like bliss until the dread of the wait for season 7 sets into their very souls. However, whilst the week-by-week waiting period between episodes bubbled with excitement and suspense in years past, something has also been disturbingly more present these last ten weeks. On your Facebook newsfeed, the dismay of coming across your friend's thirty-ninth baby photo in five days or even another rant about the EU Referendum result (We get it. You're sad. Stop.) has been accompanied by something darker and evil than all of the White Walkers, Joffrey’s and Ramsay Boltons combined: Game of Thrones spoilers.

If you aren’t lucky enough to be in a job where you can afford time to watch the early 2am broadcast or even able to watch it Monday night because, well…. life, checking social media whilst planning to catch up with GoT the day after spoiler-free is a myth of legend. Whether quickly looking something up on Facebook; Twitter or LinkedIn (yes, LINKEDIN. Seven Hells.), you’ll more than likely be immediately emotionally slapped in the face with a spoiling status or meme because, hey, what else are people going to post about to get approval from others asap, right?

With each passing season, more of your friends, followers and that one guy in a London law firm (damn it, LinkedIn) seem to be showing less consideration for those who haven’t the chance to see a new episode at the newest possibility. A lot are now following certain trains of thought such as “should I really share this character-death-joke meme an hour after the episode first airs? Yeah. Screw those other guys sleeping right now. I’m hilarious. Bants”. Inevitable heartbreak follows for those who choose to watch the 9pm airing on a Monday or Tuesday after work, losing half of the excitement and suspense now knowing what’s going to happen with at least two, three or all of the show’s storylines.

Like the many other spoiler victims out there, you may have even gone to the status of one or two who “just had to” hint a character death or reveal, just telling them to show some consideration. You then get nothing but a bit of half-arsed excuse/argument to defend their news feed “honour” if not a “Woops. My bad. Tehe.” If you’ve been on the receiving end of these arguments or have dished them out yourselves when spoiler posting, this is an opportunity to either relate or learn something as to why they're just not good enough excuses. In the case of you being the former, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone:

1)    “Well if you don’t want it to be spoiled, you shouldn’t be on social media. Gawd!”

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An ideal world, if only. It’s a bit of a shame to admit this but for the majority of us, social media is an everyday part of our lives. Whether wanting to check one of those fan pages you like, catch up on the group chat or just to tag your mate in that adorable kitten picture, tapping onto Facebook or your Twitter feed real quick is usually the go-to option when we have a minute or two to kill. For many people, it’s how they even keep updated on non-tv or film related news. Alongside sometimes being the main form of communication with certain friends, it’s even part of a lot of people’s jobs these days. Almost every business under the sun being on social media means its employees use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even Instagram as a part of how they make a living. It’s unavoidable even if they try.

An episode of Game of Thrones is around 50 minutes. Looking something up on Facebook takes 1-2 minutes at most. Viewers who need to catch up can’t be blamed for not being able to find the time in the day, other than watching tid-bits of an episode during their 5 minute coffee break in the office canteen. Not only that, but it feels ridiculous to shut ourselves off from our daily routine just because some 16 year old lad  from Durham feels the need to share a “funny” gif from the episode that aired the night before. It’s CLEARLY essential to his life he earns those 2-3 retweets.

2)    “It wasn’t even that much of a spoiler. I kept it, like, totally vague.” 

Well golly gosh, oh my, that OBVIOUSLY resolves it. Cheers, Susan from Stoke for your “selective sensitivity” towards the rest of us. Despite what may be thought about fans of a fantasy drama series based on violence, ice zombies and dragons, we’re not idiots. Other than those who may be joining their friends watching an episode or two in a group to see what the fuss is about, the majority of viewers are fans who have followed events of GoT since day one or have got on the bandwagon in recent years and caught up. Fans are still people who have common sense, who are also capable of connecting dots. Energetic statuses saying “OMG what an episode. So sad *J-Snow, Tyrion, The Hound, Arya or Podrick* <3 #GoT #HaHaIWatchedThisAt2amBeforeYou”, we’re going to automatically think about what’s been happening in previous episodes, assuming either something bad/sad happens to that character, or like in most cases, they’re going to die. Even saying “Holy f*ck Game of Thrones, what an ending, so shocking!” means many of us will be sarcastically thanking you for not letting us find out about an unexpected ending ourselves; mapping out what it could be based on what we know, and if by some slim chance we don’t figure it out by the ending, we’ll be focused on wondering too much to enjoy the full ride of the episode as much as we could do.

Blame is also to be given to GoT meme/fan pages: who practically post onscreen deaths memes, plot giveaways and reveals every week after an episode airing at the soonest possibility. Sure, you can try to un-like and re-like before and after a new episode but there’s so many pages out there that fans have liked over the years, there will be at least one you’ll forget that will hit you with a full on gif or auto-play clip within an hour of you waking up Monday morning. It’s then those who decide to share or retweet these posts that have yet-to-be-caught-up fans not realise what new post of their friends’ they’re looking at until it’s too late.

In a way, you immediate spoiler posters out there can be empathised with. It can be understood why you post teasing-statuses’ or pictures regarding just-broadcasted episodes. It’s been a while since you’ve posted something and feel like you should. We’ve all been there. I’ll admit I certainly have. So you think by posting a Game of Thrones status about its recent events whilst being all “definitely no spoilers, I promise”, you feel like you’ve gotten away with it and established some relevance for yourself at the same time. Nonetheless, if you want to post about GoT so soon after a new episode comes out and only arrive at spoiler-based vagueness at the height of your “consideration”, don’t post anything at all. This is why your generic options of mentioning your gym sessions, Coronation Street marathons or "drinkin' with ma guurrrllsss!"nights exist.

3)    “Why do you even care anyway? It’s just a TV show!”

Game of Thrones is the most watched (and pirated) television show currently on-air for a reason. It’s on average 23.3 million per week viewership has been earned over its run through delving into the series’ rich; deep lore, carefully woven & intertwining stories alongside its great cast of engaging characters that fans have become so emotionally invested in. When you’re so deeply invested into a great televised fiction that’s only 10 episodes a year, the hyped build up before and during a new season is like an annual event. It's a shared 2.5 month celebration of joy between friendship groups: many who hold off a day to watch an episode to see it for the first time amongst your best friends, sharing the experience together.

Comparing to when a trailer for an anticipated film comes out for example, there are many out there who think that the first trailer, or even no trailer at all, is enough. By choosing to see as few trailers or promos as we can, we want to go into this film knowing as little as possible so we can be as surprised, in suspense and enjoying the emotional rollercoaster ride as much as possible. Dozens of fellow fans, alongside myself, really only watch the first trailer for a Game of Thrones season for this same reason. Even then, GoT trailers are edited in a way that barely give away any plot details to begin with. Then; after nine months of anticipation and excitement towards where we want to see what happens to our favourite GoT characters and storylines: Bev, who you met through your flat mate at a house party a year ago, shares a Game Of Laughs Facebook page cartoon-ised meme, depicting a character death from the season finale that aired 12 hours ago. That week you had of built up hype towards the finale, that sense of achievement you had from actually avoiding spoilers all day at work: gone. Just because Bev had to show off her  "relevant sense of humour” with a meme page before everyone else got a chance to see the episode in an hour or so. You’re an idiot, Bev.

Imagine if some lad in Liverpool gained the ability to predict every Euro 2016 goal before every football match and posts about it, with many football fan-lads on his friends list, an hour before said match airs. If you can imagine that spoiled heart break in your chest, that’s the GoT fan’s emotional equivalent. To top off the answer on why spoiled fans do care, it should be with a question to spoiler posters themselves: If you’re questioning why people care so much about seeing what happens in a new GoT episode, why do you care enough to feel the need to post a spoiler about it in the first place? 

Verdict

Social media etiquette amongst Game of Thrones fans has devolved into a contest of attention seeking over consideration for others. It shouldn't be that no-one can post any GoT memes or jokey statuses ever, obviously. If some fans decide to wait two weeks before deciding to catch up, that’s their problem if it gets spoiled for them, but posting a spoiler literally the day after an episode is out before anyone gets a chance to watch it at all: that’s either the work of being unthoughtful, incredibly dim or both. The wait for season 7 means nine months of social network peace but eventually, April is coming. When the morning after of the new season premiere rolls around, your 4 Likes and single comment mentioning “I know, yeh. Totes bruv!” will still be there waiting to notify your Facebook after waiting a few days. For the consideration of your Facebook friends & followers, next time you want to post a plot-hinting status or a “hilarious” meme based on a newly-aired Game of Thrones episode, don’t be that guy. Don’t be a prick. 

By Ben Williams, PineappleCarpet