In 2020, when college classes were online and I had an endless amount of spare time, my friends and I were constant true crime watchers. From Hulu’s The Girl from Plainville starring Elle Fanning or Netflix’s American Murder: The Family Next Door, we were absolutely hooked on true crime, case after case.
With this fascination, I decided to couple my college degree with a minor in criminology. I absolutely loved the criminology courses, especially one where our professor posed a simple question – is society more violent now than in the past? To the surprise of the majority of the class, the data showed our current times are statistically less violent than previous generations, despite us considering the seemingly constant violence in news headlines. One theory we discussed was that the rise of true crime media may be shaping our perception, making the world feel more dangerous than it actually is.
Paranoia or Prepared?
Studies have consistently shown that playing violent video games does not increase violent tendencies, but research on true crime is less conclusive. Infamous offenders have released manifestos citing earlier crimes as inspiration, known as a copycat crime, but this does not decisively apply to audiences who consume true crime content as entertainment.
What is clearer is that heavy consumption of true crime often increases anxiety and fear rather than providing a realistic picture of everyday risks. The cases that dominate documentaries and headlines tend to be the rare and sensational ones – serial killers and shocking twists. In contrast, most real world violence occurs within familiar relationships rather than at the hands of strangers.
This raises an important question – does an emphasis on the types of stories that make headlines make us more fearful of strangers than we need to be? If violence is more likely to come from people we know, perhaps it is just as important to focus on strengthening and checking in on our close relationships as it is to take precautionary measures against unlikely dangers.
Impact on Casework
The Ted Bundy trial in 1979 and the OJ Simpson 1995 trial were two of the first televised, high profile trials in American history, beginning what now is common practice – an undeniable media storm whenever an interesting case begins.
There is a lot of good that can happen with the general public becoming aware of cases, it can lead to victims and families garnering support. It’s even led to the development of organizations like The Innocence Project, a group that uses DNA evidence to exonerate wrongly incarcerated individuals. When more people can create support for a cause, there can be a louder fight for justice.
On the other hand, TikTok and Reddit detectives posting their theories online, often with little evidence, allows a level of virality of false information like never before. This is clearly displayed in One Night in Idaho: The College Murders on Amazon Prime with direct accounts from the students that were wrongfully accused online; as they tried to mourn the deaths of their friends, they were receiving online threats of their own from internet sleuths who tried to uncover the case before the police.
This is a deeply personal problem, and circles back to having everything in moderation. If true crime content starts to heighten anxiety, it may be worth stepping back. There’s value in being informed about potential dangers, but it’s also important to keep perspective – most violence occurs within familiar circles rather than from strangers. With that in mind, one of the best ways to support your own well being is by supporting healthy and attentive relationships with those around you.
