Interesting. I don't watch a lot of films or series, but when I'm in the mood to find something good, I often use Wikipedia rather than reviews to decide if something is right for me. I don't mind knowing more about the plot, and if it looks like something I would really enjoy, and if I think it might be better if I didn't know the ending, I just don't read to the end.

Here's something that struck me as I read your piece. The first time I remember spoiler warnings being a big deal was during promo for Blair Witch Project. In that case, spoiler warnings made a certain amount of sense because part of the enjoyment of the film was thinking that it might be real.

I'm wondering if that is what helped popularize spoiler warnings.