True crime is not healthy media to consume

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There has been a proliferation in true crime media in recent years, and it is not making a bad state of affairs any better. 

For those unfamiliar, true crime is a non-fiction genre that covers the events, facts, and speculation surrounding real life criminal cases. It is not necessarily a new phenomenon, T.V. shows like Dateline, America’s Most Wanted, and City Confidential all roughly hit the same notes as current day podcasts do. 

However, the nature of modern entertainment’s ease of accessibility compared to the reruns and home video releases of yesteryear makes the true crime boom all the more worthy of examination. Namely, how consuming the genre changes people’s behaviours and perceptions of their surroundings for the worse.

True crime’s popularity comes from the ability for audiences to feel as if they are simultaneously passive and active observers in solving a mystery without actually investing any effort in piecing together the clues. There is also high popularity of true crime amongst women in particular, which is believed to stem from fears of victimization, the profiled victims often being women, and the idea that life-saving tips could be gleaned from listening to such stories.

All these factors combined creates an industry where violent tales satisfy human curiosity whilst acting as “teachable moments” to avoid becoming a victim. There are a few problematic takeaways here.

First, there is the idea of using actual crimes as sources of entertainment. Can it not be agreed just how wrong that is? Sensationalizing crime in the media has gone as far back as the British broadsheet buzz surrounding Jack the Ripper. Lurid stories of murders, assaults, and thievery lends credence to the maxim, “If it bleeds, it reads.” 

Fiction, too, has been known to “rip from the headlines,” where writers thought the notoriety made for compelling scripts, viewership, and/or sales. 

True Crime is this sensationalism in its purest form. No allusions to or obfuscation about the topic, it is the actual crime being recounted in detail to thousands of people with kitschy catchphrases, gimmicks, and merchandise thrown in. 

What better way to respect an event that irrevocably altered the course of many peoples’ lives than by shilling sponsors and coffee mugs in the same breath? Certainly the loved ones of victims might not be inclined to think so.

Second, there is a psychological aspect to it. Whereas true crime podcasters may delve into armchair psychology, this is based on actual psychoanalysis instead of speculative ruminations. Overexposure to criminal news, whether via traditional, social, or alternative media, correlates to increased fears of victimization. 

True crime is no different in this regard as the internet thins the line separating content creators and audiences, and audiences are able to curate their consumption more freely than with scheduled programming. 

Furthermore, the online communities that pop up around the genre act as echo chambers that confirm pre-existing beliefs, biases, and misconceptions about crime. A true crime enjoyer can listen to any episode of any such podcast at any time, drastically increasing the odds of feeling like they’re next. Paranoia is fostered and everybody looks like a potential attacker, especially those who one may hold biases against.

Modern society is an already cold and alienating experience. Too much true crime would just make you even colder towards people and feel alienated due to a misguided belief that everybody wants to hurt you or your loved ones personally. It is a genre that is hard to get right since the nuances of criminality are so easily lost to the grim fascinations of events that are not common to daily life.