Image via Spoiler Shield
Social media is a great way to unite fans of various forms of entertainment from all over the world. Unfortunately, fans like to talk and they don’t seem to realize that not everybody on the planet actually watches a show when it airs. Thankfully, it’s possible to avoid spoilers without becoming a social media hermit.
There was a time when we had no choice but to avoid Twitter – and to a lesser degree, Facebook – on Sunday nights because there was always chatter going on about The Walking Dead, and you could bet good money on important events being revealed, usually as they happened. Hershel? Katana? Yeah, we knew about that moment before it happened simply because we were about half an hour behind, and we had stupidly broke our no-Twitter rule. It was that moment that prompted finding the three goodies listed here.
If work or life in general keeps you from staying current with certain shows or sporting events, one of these three apps should provide the protection you need to remain spoiler-free.
The clever name came from combining Tivo with Twitter, and the name fits because this little Chrome extension works in a similar fashion. Just type in tags for your favorite show (Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Super Bowl, etc.) and hit record. All tweets with these tags will be blocked from your view. Hit stop when the show ends, and hit play when you’re ready to watch the show to have the previously hidden tweets become visible.
Twivo is great if Twitter is your go-to social media hangout but you need something with a wider reach if you wander away from the little blue bird, or if your preferred browser is something other than Chrome. Spoiler Shield will block those nasty spoilers from Twitter but it will also keep you from getting spoiled on Facebook, allowing you to set shields for any NFL or baseball team. You can also set shields for over 30 TV shows.
Now you’re safe from Twitter and Facebook, but what happens when some well-meaning friend gets carried away and sends a text message expressing shock over Walter White actually being the devil incarnate on Breaking Bad? FYI: That’s not actually how things go down with that show.
Still, there’s no reason to protect yourself from social media while remaining vulnerable to your phone. Anti -Text Spoiler lets you set up an Event for either a game or TV show being recorded, and starts a service that sends out an automated reply to all incoming messages that states ‘If this text is not related to my event then please reply no to deliver the message’. Replying No delivers the message. Any reply besides No, or no reply at all, will delete the original message because it is considered to be related to the Event being recorded.
Just as an extra bonus for you, we’ll throw in one additional way to avoid spoilers. The catch is that it’s for only one show. This app lets you access Twitter through Netflix, with the Spoiler Foiler blocking spoilers that pertain to House of Cards. If you’re way behind on your TV watching – and if it’s still functional – you can also use the Foiler to avoid Breaking Bad spoilers.
Using a combination of any or all of the above apps and extensions should keep you adequately shielded from the spoilers that are waiting to pounce on you unannounced… or you can just turn off the computer and phone until you have a chance to catch up on your shows. Your choice.
