And yet, that’s okay.
Spoilers aren’t valuable. It seems like a big deal – Darth Vader is really Luke’s father! – and yet, we all know that by now. And yet, people still watch Star Wars.
The spoiler seems like inside information, but it really isn’t – knowing the spoiler does not make the information more valuable. We know how every single one of Shakespeare’s plays end, and yet, theatre companies still put them on and people still pay very good money to see them. (Spoiler alert: Hamlet dies. So does everyone else.)
If the drama is good, the spoiler will not detract from the value of the product. This isn’t investing or gambling, where having inside information adds economic value. If the spoiler is the only thing that makes the story good, the story isn’t all that good in the first place. Had I known how Lost was going to end, I would not have invested so much time in the show. On the other hand, I knew from UK newspapers how Downton Abbey would end last season, but I still watched it.
So go ahead – tell me how Breaking Bad ends. I’ll still watch to see how the characters unfold. The inside information will not add value, and that’s okay. The story is valuable in and of itself.
