Our unprecedented connection has allowed social media to ruin movies. There is not a movie today that can keep its plot a secret. Not long after its release, the storyline will be on every social media platform. A movie can be released on a Thursday night, and by 4 a.m. Friday morning someone will have tweeted the twist at the end. It's gotten so bad that when a movie does come out that I really want to see and didn't go to on opening night, I have to steer clear of social media. I know I am not the only one who has experienced this, and it's sad to think that those of us who do not attend the opening night do not get to enjoy the movie from a fresh perspective.
While it is amazing that we can share every event and moment we have with the world, some things are better left unshared. Imagine if "The Sixth Sense" came out now. Back when it was released, people would say "You have got to see this movie – it will blow your mind!" If it came out now, there would be a torrent of tweets saying "Man I can't believe he was dead the whole time. #Mindblown #OMG #Spoiler" We all know that once one it is out on Twitter or Facebook, it spreads like wildfire. People still go to see the movie. But instead of being surprised, they now go expecting that twist. What was once a special moment at a movie theater has just become the "Oh yeah, I saw that too. It was pretty good."
I do not see any way for us to fix this problem outside of having the common courtesy to not immediately post the surprise ending of whatever we just watched. Instead, we should just keep it simple with "A must see movie for sure!", along with having actual, in-person conversations with people about the movie. There is something great about discussing a movie with someone who has also seen it and someone who has not. The two of you who have seen it have this secret connection that the third person does not understand. It is those little connections that really create a bond between people.
Social media use is almost necessary, but like anything in life, boundaries need to be set. I do not want to worry that I am going to find a spoiler or come across a chat that exposes everything while scrolling through my feed. With every physical interaction, we have unspoken rules that we respect; I really think some of these need to transfer to the online social world. There are a lot of things that are great to share with everyone, but there are some that we should refrain from posting about. A major one we should respect is movies. Let's remember that one of the joys of going to see a movie is watching what is unknown and experiencing it for the very first time.