Speculation on Spoilers:
Lost Fandom,
Narrative Consumption, &
Rethinking Textuality
Jonathan Gray & Jason Mittell
forthcoming in http://participations.org

Key question:
Why do fans read
spoilers?

Key question:
Why do fans read
spoilers?
Conducted online qualitative survey in May 2006
Solicited on fan boards & email list
179 completed surveys - 150 “spoiler fans”

Extra-Textual Pleasures

Extra-Textual Pleasures
• Spoiler fans consume spoilers as a
game in and of itself, a contest
between fans and producers

Extra-Textual Pleasures
• Spoiler fans consume spoilers as a
game in and of itself, a contest
between fans and producers
• Not substantiated by survey

Extra-Textual Pleasures

Extra-Textual Pleasures
• Spoiler fans are anti-fans, resisting the
pleasures of the text in an
oppositional manner

Extra-Textual Pleasures
• Spoiler fans are anti-fans, resisting the
pleasures of the text in an
oppositional manner
• Not substantiated by survey

Extra-Textual Pleasures

Extra-Textual Pleasures
• Spoiler fans seek the communal
relations of the spoiler-circulating
community

Extra-Textual Pleasures
• Spoiler fans seek the communal
relations of the spoiler-circulating
community
• Relevant, but not primary motive

Extra-Textual Pleasures

Extra-Textual Pleasures
• Spoiler fans regard the spoilers
themselves as enjoyable texts to be
studied and parsed

Extra-Textual Pleasures
• Spoiler fans regard the spoilers
themselves as enjoyable texts to be
studied and parsed
• Looking for “foilers” is pleasurable,
extending paratexts beyond weekly
episode

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans seek pleasure & comfort
of the known, enabling enjoyment of
familiar text on first viewing

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans seek pleasure & comfort
of the known, enabling enjoyment of
familiar text on first viewing
• Tempered by regret; rereading
aesthetic

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans see plot revelations &
suspense as minor pleasures,
obscuring more enjoyable textual
qualities such as narrative mechanics,
romance, & production values

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans see plot revelations &
suspense as minor pleasures,
obscuring more enjoyable textual
qualities such as narrative mechanics,
romance, & production values
• Suspense & mystery still central;
operational aesthetic

Reasons to Primary Reason to
Pleasures of Spoiler Fans (n=150)
Watch Watch
I want to discover the answers to the island's mysteries 91% 28%
I enjoy the suspenseful plot 90% 24%
The show surprises me 77% 1%
The show is unlike anything else on the air 75% 9%
I find it exciting 71% 3%
I enjoy the innovative way the show tells its story 68% 9%
I am interested in the philosophical issues raised by the show 60% 5%
I like to discuss the show on websites or with people I know 59% 1%
I find some of the actors attractive 54% 0%
I want to solve the show's puzzles before they are answered 51% 3%
I am impressed by the show's production values 43% 1%
I am invested in the relationships that exist or that could form
38% 4%
between characters
The show makes me laugh 37% 0%
It's a ritual that I watch with friends or family 33% 5%
It reminds me of playing a game 31% 1%
I find the show to be a good distraction from my own life 31% 1%
I want to see the characters escape the island 22% 1%
I want to be able to relate to other people I know who watch it 21% 0%
I find it scary 18% 0%
The show makes me cry 13% 0%
The show reminds me of other programs I enjoy 10% 0%
It teaches me something useful about the world 9% 0%
Other (please specify) 2% 3%

Most significant pleasures
(more than 2/3 responding)
• I want to discover the answers to the island's
mysteries
• I enjoy the suspenseful plot
• The show surprises me
• The show is unlike anything else on the air
• I find it exciting
• I enjoy the innovative way the show tells its story

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans view Lost’s narrative
practices differently from traditional
stories, using spoilers to participate in a
puzzle-solving quest

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans view Lost’s narrative
practices differently from traditional
stories, using spoilers to participate in a
puzzle-solving quest
• Spoilers as additional clues to be
discovered within game logic;
adding to & extending mysteries

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans take control of their
emotional responses and pleasures of
anticipation, experiencing suspense on
viewers’ not creators’ terms

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans take control of their
emotional responses and pleasures of
anticipation, experiencing suspense on
viewers’ not creators’ terms
• Heighten suspense & anticipation;
reduced surprise & curiosity;
strategy for managing serial form

Pleasures of the Spoiled Story
• Spoiler fans take control of their
emotional responses and pleasures of
anticipation, experiencing suspense on
viewers’ not creators’ terms
• Heighten suspense & anticipation;
reduced surprise & curiosity;
strategy for managing serial form
• Continued on http://justtv.wordpress.com