The Anatomy of a Knowledge Community

The term “spoiler” has existed for as long as the Internet has. Prior to the Internet, television shows were discussed strictly from a viewer-perspective. Generally speaking, the information known by the public about a television show was known strictly from watching the show. Today however, the Internet allows for shows to be “discussed, dissected, debated, predicted, and critiqued” by viewers around the world (Jenkins, 25). Fans known as “spoilers” work together to discover information about their favorite shows that the producers attempt to hide.

There are numerous examples of spoilers creating a knowledge community to exchange information about shows. Jenkins chooses to use Survivor to help illustrate his point. Survivor fans use chatrooms and blogs to share clues that help to shape the larger picture of the show. They go to extraordinary lengths to find the answers they seek including watching episodes frame by frame and studying satellite photographs in search of the base camp (Jenkins, 26). The information each member of the group discovers can be shared with the others on various blogs and chatrooms, such as the “Survivor Sucks” forum.

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The act of spoiling has created groups referred to as knowledge communities. The development of these knowledge communities signifies “communal, rather than individualistic, modes of reception” (26). The individual members of knowledge communities each bring different perspectives and experiences to the table. By combining all of the members’ expertise, knowledge communities implement collective intelligence (27). Although the members may come from different parts of the world, they share the common interest and goal of unlocking hidden aspects of a given television show, thus being “held together through the mutual production and reciprocal exchange of knowledge” (27). Collective intelligence can rapidly expand a group’s knowledge as each member offers another clue about a show’s hidden aspects. By pooling information, each individual’s knowledge broadens.

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