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

Pleasures of Spoiler Fans (n=150) Reasons to Watch

Primary Reason to 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 between characters

38% 4%

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