True Crime is the New Rom-Com
Throughout the years, it seems as though our society has worked its way through periods of intense fascination with certain genres that eventually run their course and make way for the next hot genre, trend, or fad. Now though, a newer and darker fascination has evidently taken hold - one with true crime. The genre includes content about serial killers, unsolved murders, missing persons cases, white collar crimes, and everything in between.
Nowadays, it seems as though there is always new true crime content binge before falling way too far into the rabbit hole of theories on Reddit. (I mean, remember how Tiger King basically defined our lives for the first few weeks of quarantine?) From documentary films to docuseries to dedicated Youtube channels and podcasts, the true crime genre is having an extremely powerful cultural moment right now. And, with more people at home and seeking escapism amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, true crime content is being streamed and consumed more than ever before. But, just like the fictional narratives of the past said a lot about our personalities, as well as the sociocultural trends of the time, the current fascination with true crime raises questions about the human psyche and the ethics of media consumption.
Why is it that we as humans are so obsessed with consuming stories that often contain chilling brutality? Moreover, why are these stories often the ones we turn to at the end of the day to relax and unwind? According to psychologist Dr. Meg Arroll, “As humans we want to understand the darker side of our nature…..true crime stories allow us to explore that in a safe way, from a distance.” While this applies to solved true crime cases that offer a perpetrator to analyze - as a self proclaimed true crime addict myself, I always find myself drawn to the documentaries, series, and podcasts that cover unsolved cases. The endless possibilities of what could have happened in a case allows for my mind to wander through endless possibilities and theories that leave me wanting to learn more. But what does it say about us that we find such pleasure and entertainment in consuming other families’ deepest tragedies?
This is an ethical conundrum that I grapple with often when consuming my daily dose of true crime. Is it wrong that what is fun entertainment for me, is the reality for the families of victims; whose loved one’s murder or attack is being replayed on phones, laptopts, and TVs across the world? This has been a point of contention among viewers and creators alike as the true crime genre has grown into a cultural phenomenon. The family members of many victims whose cases have been covered in true crime media have expressed their dismay with their family’s tragedy being turned into a piece of entertainment, oftentimes without their permission. When the hit docuseries, Making a Murderer, that explored whether Steven Avery had murdered Teresa Halbach, premiered on Netflix, Teresa Halbach’s family issued a statement saying they were “saddened to learn that individuals and corporations continue to create entertainment and to seek profit from our loss.” Similar sentiments were echoed by the sisters of Kathleen Peterson, whose mysterious death was covered in Netflix’s The Staircase. It is easy for viewers and listeners like myself to take a passive stance, rationalizing that we were not the ones to make the content, so consuming it won’t do any more harm than was already done by the production companies who produced it. It is easy to pass the blame and responsibility onto Netflix, HBO, or Dateline, but I can’t imagine that excuse offers much solace to the victim's families.
Despite this, there are some real life positives that have come out of the current true crime phenomenon in the media. Documentaries, podcasts, and series often bring much needed attention to cold cases and those that received little media attention. The popularity of Tiger King urged authorities to reopen investigations into the mysterious disappearance of Carole Baskin’s husband, Don Lewis. And Netflix’s reboot of Unsolved Mysteries has sourced new tips regarding the cases they have covered. Plus, the consumption of true crime content has allowed viewers to obtain much-needed survival skills and safety hacks, especially among women, who are the largest consumers of true crime content.
Whether the true crime craze will fade away as countless genre fads before it remains to be seen. But at this point, it does not show any sign of slowing down, not do people’s interests seem to be waning. However, I imagine that his ethical reckoning will continue to live alongside the true crime genre as long as remains at the forefront of our society. What do you think is the future of the true crime genre?
