Metro Spoiler Alert Signs Bring Internet Standard To The Streets

Jason Eppink

The spoiler alert is an august Internet tradition. Early netiquette insisted any information which might give away content--like the finale of your favorite show--be masked and then proceeded by a warning. Now, art collective Newmindspace and Jason Eppink have taken this Internet practice to the streets.

They attached spoiler alerts to New York City metro LED signs that tell you when the next trains are going to arrive. They're hoping to preserve the "spirit of adventure" that the subway had when you never really knew when the train back to Brooklyn was going to show up.

The Spoiler Alert signs warn waiting riders of this potentially unwanted information - allowing them to avert their eyes so they may preserve their spirit of adventure - while still leaving visible the data for travelers who wish to ruin the surprise for themselves.

We not only dig the social critique but also appreciated how Eppink reminds us of the porous boundaries between online culture and its meatier cousin.

Read the full story at Laughing Squid.