The True Crime Tight Rope

True crime has long been a topic of discussion. In the digital age, though, true crime content has skyrocketed. With platforms like TikTok and podcasts, it's easy for people to create and consume true crime stories. Through social media, the human aspect of these stories is often lost. Victims become another character to true crime fanatics, without any life outside of the story itself. While many creators attempt to maintain respect and dignity within their content, true crime is a difficult subject to broach and can quickly get misconstrued.

Following the increased popularity of true crime, CrimeCon was started in 2017. Over the course of a weekend, true crime fans can engage in panel discussions, educational experiences, and live reenactments of trials. On their website, CrimeCon highlights the importance of being respectful at all times, but under the FAQ they explain that the weekend is “filled with fun, education, and lots of mystery.” Mentioning “fun” for a weekend surrounding the tragic stories of so many people falls flat to the convention’s pledge to respectfulness. With a convention based on horrific events that people and their families have gone through, it is a difficult task to be respectful and maintain the victims’ humanity instead of turning them into a spectacle – and I’m not sure if CrimeCon lives up to their promise. The New York Times writes that attendees “could measure blood spatter, analyze the drawings of a serial killer, cheer their crime-solving heroes and absorb the gory details of notorious rapes and murders.” Crime scene cleaners attended with bloody boxes, vendors sold true crime-themed coffee, and guests could get their photos taken at a perp-lineup booth. While thoughtful panels take place, this convention largely feels as though many aspects of criminal justice have been turned into a game of sorts. I understand that this is a convention for true crime fans and not strictly for professionals, however, I think the activities available should be a bit more somber.

The New York Times focuses their article on Stacy Chapin, the mother of a young man who, along with his friends, was killed. Ms. Chapin had attended Crimecon 2023 and was shocked to hear a forensic analysis discussion of her son’s death in which the speaker mispronounced names and got details wrong. She then stumbled upon CrimeCon’s founder, Kevin Balfe, and explained to him how upsetting it is to hear someone – especially someone she did not know – explain these killings while not having a full understanding of the case. She reentered the conference room and spoke during a Q&A portion, focusing her statement on remembering the humanity of her son and his friends. “It’s pure entertainment at some level,” she explained to the New York Times. “That entertainment piece — there’s a real face behind that. There are real people behind these stories. Don’t ever forget that.”

Unfortunately, people often forget that the victims in these stories were actual people and had families. Social media has exacerbated the discussion of true crime stories, turning these events into pure entertainment. True crime has its biggest followers on TikTok and through podcasts. The New York Times reported that in September 2023, more than half of Apple’s top 20 podcasts were related to true crime. Many true crime podcasts, though, hop on the bandwagon without doing their due diligence by not giving the families of victims an opportunity to allow their stories to be told. With how quickly these podcasts spread, families can be caught off guard by the sudden resurgence of the events of their loved one's death or disappearance. The unexpected popularity can disrupt the healing process of these families, potentially causing them to relive the trauma.

True crime’s popularity largely resides on TikTok. Hundreds of accounts share both popular and more obscure criminal stories. However, many of the videos remain just that – stories. Anyone with a TikTok account can create a video on a criminal case, without having any connection to it or the criminal justice field. Because of this, it's very easy for amateur creators to make content without keeping the actual people in mind. Without properly thinking about it, these stories end up focusing solely on the tragedy that happened rather than also explaining the positive qualities of the victim and the life they once had. While sharing the story, creators often go into deep detail about the gruesome events. However, due to TikTok’s restrictions, many accounts censor the graphic details by using words like “unalived” (killed) and “graped” (raped). Using these words, in a sense, takes away from the gravity of the stories and how seriously they should be taken. The stories are manipulated to fit the guidelines of the platform, allowing the creators to reach maximum engagement. Consumers of true crime TikToks often get lost in the stories as well, commenting on posts asking for the next part because, to them, it's entertaining. Viewers are enthralled with true crime stories, while not necessarily caring about the people.

This is not to say that all things true crime are bad. CrimeCon, itself, has victims and families in attendance, grateful to have a sense of community and a space to share their stories. The true crime community has been able to work together to solve mystery cases and catch suspects for brutal crimes, putting their internet sleuthing to good use. Sharing stories of crimes can also help draw awareness towards certain causes or donation funds, and help people to be more aware of their surroundings in dangerous situations. True crime is a double-edged sword and it's important for people to be more mindful of the content they are creating and consuming, as well as the larger discussion surrounding it. People within the true crime community should always remember that these people are real and have families, and that the stories being told aren’t fictional or made to keep you entertained.