By: Natalie St. Denis
True crime media has grown in popularity since the 1960s. More specifically, podcasts have become a popular medium for consuming true crime content, especially after the release of the “Serial” podcast in 2014. So what’s the craze all about?
For Lindsey A. Sherrill, assistant professor of business communication at the University of North Alabama, true crime has always been appealing. She started to become more invested when she was working in the newspaper industry around 2002 and the publication was working on a missing persons case. She then took a deep plunge into the true crime world and didn’t look back.
“I had gotten on the ‘Serial’ podcast train along with the rest of the world and started really seeing this kind of ecosystem of true crime podcasts explode and that’s really what got me into the research side of it,” Sherrill said.
In general, Sherrill attributes some of true crime media’s increased popularity to social media and the idea that listeners or watchers can be involved and play an armchair detective role. While this level of engagement is intriguing to true crime consumers, Sherrill emphasizes the good and bad that comes with it. On one hand, some true crime junkies may contribute in beneficial ways such as helping to solve unsolved cases or overturning wrongful convictions. But on the other hand, some fans get too involved and may do more harm than good, leading to outcomes like doxxing innocent people or getting them sucked into a case they had nothing to do with.
Sherrill says social media has also fostered a sense of community in the true crime media world that may draw people in. From this have come fandoms like “Murderinos,” who are die-hard fans of the podcast “My Favorite Murder.” Sherrill also points out the benefits that have come from the growing, tight-knit true crime communities.
“There’s been a lot of good that has come from that, to things like fundraising and awareness for different causes, for victim advocacy and things like that,” Sherrill said.
For Khai Dompreh, a freshman studying psychology at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, true crime is fascinating because of the psychological aspects involved in each case.
“I’m very passionate about psychology. So it’s almost like, you know, seeing the psychology of maybe a killer or what happened in their own personal life and what made them act this way. It’s always been such a fascinating thing to me to see,” Dompreh said.
Similar to Dompreh, Sherrill likes to look at cases from a sociological standpoint and the bigger picture, which often indicates a systemic issue. While this may be the case for Sherrill, she emphasizes the importance of asking yourself ‘why am I so into this, and what am I getting out of it?’ She suggests there may be an ethical problem if someone enjoys true crime simply because it’s wild, horrifying and titillating to them.
“But if the reason is ‘I’m learning, I’m connecting, I’m taking this and using it somehow to do some real good in the world,’ then I think that’s a very different kind of calculation,” Sherrill said.
Ethics is another concern that has presented itself with the rise of podcasts, documentaries and shows depicting true crime cases. Because there are now so many different types of true crime entertainment out there, many creators are trying to add a spin to their content that sets them apart from the rest. For example, comedians are having a go at true crime podcasts, seemingly trying to add light to otherwise dark cases. But with that has come some controversy.
Even popular series on streaming services have received some major backlash, such as the Netflix series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” According to Time, families of the victims of Jeffrey Dahmer have expressed concerns over not being contacted about the show and the sort of details that were to be included in it.
Dompreh, who mainly uses Youtube to watch true crime content, has also come across some insensitive accounts that have used a victim’s dead body as the thumbnail for their video.
But luckily, Sherrill says there are things to look out for to make sure you are supporting ethical true crime content. She says one of the biggest things to look at is who is producing or benefiting from the media. An example of this, Sherrill says, is if the content is just being made as entertainment and may have no involvement from family members or people actually affected by the situation, then there may be some questionable ethics there. On the other hand, it’s better to listen, watch or read content with more journalistic value that involves sources who have personal connections with the case, such as “Cold Case Files” or a true crime classic, “Forensic Files.”
“That personal involvement can make true crime media less exploitative than someone who’s just making entertainment with no feedback from the real people involved,” Sherrill said.
Dompreh has an appreciation for Youtubers who generate true crime content within the necessary boundaries. This could be inviting witnesses or family members involved to the show, or at the very least making an attempt to contact them. Fact checking is another item the creator should be taking the time to do, so that they have a good understanding of the case, while also not sharing too much personal information about the family.
Not only should you be carefully considering what true crime you are consuming, but you should also take note of how much you are indulging in it.
Dompreh has found himself a little too invested in the true crime life in the past, but once he recognized he was becoming too obsessed, he took a one month hiatus. He then slowly started to dive back in by allowing himself to watch just one video a day.
“When it comes to true crime, just have a moderation of it because you can definitely, very much find yourself becoming very fascinated with it, to an obsession,” Dompreh said.
With that being said, Sherrill has observed the rise in true crime media for nearly eight years and she sees no signs of it slowing down.
“I’ve heard people say ‘Oh the true crime bubble has to burst at some point.’ There is still no sign of that happening. It may happen at some point, I don’t think it’s coming anytime soon,” Sherrill said.
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