“He won’t be around next season because he leaves in this season’s finale.”
“Oh, I liked that character too, but I didn’t like the writers killing him off so early.”
“Oh, didn’t you know?”
I don’t think those are the phrases you want to hear. Nobody likes to hear something they don’t know about a show or a book they love. Except, of course, the fanatics who are desperate to hear it.
In today’s world, we have easy, fast, (relatively) cheap and varied access to media containing visual, written or audio content. We can consume it wherever we are, whenever we have free time. While for some people this becomes a habit of consuming everything — combined with excessive curiosity and fear of missing out — for others it creates a sense of weariness and saturation that is inherent in human nature. We either concentrate on several works at once or leave them unfinished. Excessive consumption seems to resemble a drive for psychological gain and success. The urge to know what your friends are following and to be able to discuss the same subject… On the other hand, saturation is almost an indicator of not enjoying what we have.
Due to the uncertain economic situation in my country, unexpected price increases are reflected in the products I buy. During the period when I was constantly reading books (now I only read the ones I have), I noticed an increasing need to buy books. This was both to have access to more books and to avoid being affected by price fluctuations. That’s why I used to buy books in bulk. I knew that years later I would feel the urge to buy the same books again, but perhaps at twice the price.
From a financial point of view, it seemed like a sensible move, but there was also a psychological aspect to it. I kept thinking that I had to read the books I bought. This pushed me to read more and faster. As a result, I sometimes didn’t understand what I was reading and didn’t worry about it. As I said, I began to see it as a symbol of success or a step towards other books.
Faced with this sad situation — with the intervention of the pandemic period — I became quite disinterested in reading, and the following year I couldn’t even finish the book I was reading, let alone look at the pile of books I had bought. It was like mental nausea, but the effect lasted a long time. Fortunately, after a year I recovered from this intoxication and entered a period of more regular reading. During this process I made an effort not to buy any new books.
Sometimes, when we have too many choices, we don’t know what to do. Consumerism or indecision can affect a person in unexpected ways. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone.
The above was more on the personal side of things. Let’s go back to our first example. There is also a social aspect and the aspect of encountering a work.
The reason I wanted to mention this is that the effect of a spoiler is similar to the effect of the consumption frenzy. A sneak peek or spoiler you get from someone who follows the same work can go so far as to change your whole feeling about the work you choose to consume and spend your precious time on—and the importance of time allocation is often overlooked. Not to mention the momentary angry reaction you might have towards that person.
As you know, it is said that it is hard to build, but easy to destroy. No, I’m not saying you should rethink your relationship with your fellow who spoils a lot. Not yet. What I am saying is that all that curiosity and appetite can disappear in an instant. It can wipe out the ending you were curious about, the event you were trying to solve, and the imagination you used throughout the work.
But along with all these problems, depending on the quality of the work, there can also be a beautiful factor. Plot twist, the surprise that the story brings. The good thing is that this is not a spoiler element that ruins the surprise, but a phenomenon that draws you into the story at an unexpected moment.
Plot twists are like a second spring or a refreshing hope for works. The series begins, characters are introduced, places and events are mentioned. It may be an exciting season, and you may be curious to see what comes next. But at some point it can become a production that loses its lustre. It may need something new, a saviour, or an element of the unknown. A well-crafted and intriguing twist in the middle or towards the end can breathe new life into a series.
If we think about the meaning of the word, we can understand why we cannot have a twist at the beginning of the series. A twist needs a certain starting point. At least when we reach the middle point, we can create a balanced twist. However, this twist — which will be proportionate to the quality and solidity of the work — can be created more than once. But how effective or efficient it will be is another matter.
Let’s take the TV series Lost, for example. Many of my friends have said that they stopped watching it after a certain season. I was one of them. When I watched it years later and finished it, I liked it, but I didn’t have a hard time understanding why it was abandoned halfway through. It is not always easy to have a combination of many mysteries or different elements, and they may not be accepted by everyone in the same way. And that’s natural. Also, a series that has raised the bar so high in the past can fall back on such reflexes, which can be fascinating but also quite exhausting. That’s why, as you know, the most talked about point is the end of the series, not the early seasons.
In conclusion, in a world where consumerism reigns supreme, the enjoyment of works can gradually diminish. So it can be helpful to concentrate in one direction. Personally, I have never concentrated on reading several books at once. Taking a bite out of the cake while eating fish can be unpleasant. Managing our precious time well should not only be a matter of work ethics. We should also be able to manage the process of having fun and developing ourselves. No, I’m not talking about having strict rules or being disciplined. But whatever we do, we should try to enjoy it and only it. Sometimes focusing on one thing at a time can be the right and most efficient approach.
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