by By Phoebe Ransco
TikTok is built on immediate global communication via video and media clips through users’ personalized “for you” pages, but what if the algorithm catches on to what you’ve been binging?
With the increase in viral movie and TV show campaigns through social media, most consumers find their next theater outing away from the box offices. See here for the importance of social media promotion in the film/TV industries, and how these social media campaigns can make or break the release. Social media promotion for TV and film is not a new invention, but with the media depth of TikTok, oftentimes these promoted movies and shows are already found broken up into clips before audiences have a chance to see the entire production.
Many people in creators’ comment sections have been quick to identify possible spoilers for new shows and movies. Not fast enough for most viewers, as many fans and watchers find these videos in their feeds and are immediately hooked because of their interest in a hit show or movie. The more popular the show or movie, the more vulnerable these plotlines are to the scrutiny and exposure to the vast population of TikTok. With the immediate nature of the platform, keeping the final episode or plot twists secret is almost an impossible feat.
This trend has been identified for years through the anime community, who often watch hundreds of episodes to find the finale episode at the top of their for you page…
One recent example is the hit movie Saltburn, which was released this past December to mixed reviews. Many viewers complained initially that the promotions, clips, and theater screen filming (have these users ever heard of the FBI?) had ruined the plot and its subsequent twists before interested fans could even make it to the theater. Jacob Elordi clips quickly turned into something more, and before anyone knew it, the TikTok community had seen the whole movie through clips and users’ opinions before even watching it.
What’s to be done about this trend? TikTok has made no effort to stop people from filming in movie theaters and users commenting on their interpretation of the movie or show, so how should users be able to protect themselves from finding out who got the last rose on the most recent Bachelor season? See here for a spoiler. (at least I warned you)
The TikTok army is always going to want to get to the bottom of things, and it’s up to us to keep up with it. If you are halfway through a nail-biting series, or an avid moviegoer looking forward to an upcoming film, avoiding TikTok might be the only way to preserve the suspense.
Great post, I especially loved the cover photo! I have come across many spoilers on the app, especially with reality TV. When the recent season of Love is Blind came out, I saw spoiler clips of who got married before I was able to get to that episode. It’s frustrating! TikTok is a great and very effective platform for promoting movies and TV, but there could be regulations surrounding what is and is not allowed to be shown when the media is still fresh to prevent spoiling it for others.
I completely agree with your analysis of how social media has become somewhat of a spoiler zone for movies and TV shows. I for one, can absolutely relate to this because I will usually wait 1 to 2 weeks after a movie’s release to get better seats and a less crowded movie theatre though unfortunately, I will often see spoilers for it on my feed. This doesn’t just apply to movies and TV shows but also plot lines of many other things with stories such as video games and books. I’m also not too sure on how we can avoid spoilers other than to completely remove ourselves from places like TikTok and Instagram where it is so often spoiled without any regard for those who have yet to see it.