Picture this: You’re watching the latest Netflix documentary. The things they’re saying are insane and detestable. The pictures and descriptions of their crimes make your skin crawl. Only the worst of the worst could do something so despicable like that. But you keep watching anyway. Why?
True crime is defined as nonfiction literature, podcasts, and film that depicts real crime cases. That means that anyone who claims Only Murders in the Building or American Horror Story as their favorite true crime shows, I’m afraid they do not make the cut.
On the simplest level, we watch true crime because it’s just plain old interesting. But the thing that makes it interesting, is the sheer unbelievability of it. The idea that people, just like you and me, could commit crimes as ghastly as Ed Gein, Jeffery Dahmer, and David Berkowitz is astonishing. The Gazelle states that humans, “by nature” are morbidly curious beings. This curiosity, specifically when related to true crime consumption, is fueled by our innate desire to understand good vs. evil; meaning that we observe “evil”, to help properly define “good”.
Unexpectedly to me, safety is also a big reason that we listen to true crime. Psychology today suggests that women specifically seek to understand perpetrators’ motives in their desire to feel safe and secure. Single women have communicated that they watch true crime to gain tips for how to protect themselves from strangers who may attack them, and to learn to spot potential sociopathic personality traits in potential partners. We ladies don’t want to accidentally fall for the next Jack the Ripper.
When it comes to your weekly (or daily) consumption of true crime, one aspect that is undeniably in the mainstream, is the thrill of it. When OJ Simpson ran from the cops on live television, we watched. It was the same phenomenon decades earlier, in Dallas, following the Kennedy assassination, and the subsequent witch-hunt for Lee Harvey Oswald. When it comes to entertaining ourselves, the very real feeling of adrenaline is an instantly recognizable piece of the puzzle. According to an article by Wondermind, our infatuation is likely due to a healthy (or unhealthy) need for escapism, “So, yeah, escapism likely has something to do with craving some Keith Morrison (IYKYK) after a long day or listening to My Favorite Murder while you clean your bathroom.” In our poll, 60% of our participants agreed that being thrilled is worth learning about serial killers and their killings.
Psychology today states that 80% of true crime audiences are female. This is believed to be because of women’s empathetic nature, especially toward victims, which are also predominantly women. We can see a similar trend in our school-wide survey. Of the 18 people who took the survey, only 4 of them were male, with only two of those four saying that they listened to true crime.
Whether you find enjoyment in the history, the safety, or the horrors, true crime is undoubtedly part of modern entertainment. It is also a huge part of media today and seems to fuel audiences with curiosity and the thrill. So, the real question is are you tuning in?
