There are very few experiences that are like the one a person gets from listening to a true crime podcast. Sometimes they are mind-bending, sometimes they are open-and-shut cases and other times they are so horrendous that it is hard to conceive such atrocities. 

That being said, sharing true crime stories can be beneficial. True crime stories often get criticized for being sensationalized, and while there are some stories that have been sensationalized, real true crime shares the details of criminal cases so people can hear these accounts of what others are capable of. 

We have a draw to the macabre, but that is simply human nature. It is not inherently a bad thing for people to be more inclined to have a curiosity toward morbid thoughts. The true cause for concern is not the consumption of true crime but the reaction to such stimuli. 

If someone blindly consumes true crime for entertainment in the same way they would watch a comedy show or a horror movie—without any regard for the fact that this story impacted real people–then this is a dangerous response to true crime. However, a person who is mindful about the consumption of this media will consume with the understanding that there are real victims and other impacted persons behind these cases and that this is a matter of raising awareness rather than chasing pure entertainment and shock value. 

When the story of a death happens in a way that raises questions to the community, people who are curious go searching for more. As humans, we are drawn to this sort of media because it is interesting and gives us something to engage in and go down these rabbit holes, almost like we are at the scene of the crime ourselves. 

Releasing true crime stories in the media is not the source of any “issues” that some call out against the genre. In fact, only 44% of Americans believe that true crime is not beneficial, leaving the other 56% to believe that sharing true crime stories can actually be beneficial as they spread awareness to criminal investigations. 

The recent media coverage of Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old mother who went missing on Feb. 1, has led to a “true crime frenzy,” where law enforcement and citizens alike are trying to wrap their heads around where Guthrie could have gone. Guthrie was last seen at her house near Tucson, Arizona on Jan. 31, 2026. With many believing that she was abducted after reviewing footage released by the FBI that showed a masked individual tampering with her doorbell camera. This case is still ongoing, and part of its attention is due to the fact that Nancy Guthrie is the mother of Savannah Guthrie–the co-anchor of the Today show–as well as the fact that the reward for finding her is over a million dollars, but this is an ongoing example of how true crime stories can rapidly gain widespread attention.

Reading, watching or listening to these cases can be educational, because kids who want to be investigative journalists or detectives would benefit from the practice of trying to solve these cases. It’s also very educational for people who want to be involved with law enforcement because it can help them understand what officers do in situations like murders or disappearances. 

Looking at true crime can teach us more about human nature. The Watts family murder  received a lot of publicity when Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife Shannan Watts and two children. From this case, Rolling Stone, for example, did a deep dive on the psychology of those who commit familicide–called “family annihilators” in the article. Besides spreading awareness, these cases shed light on the true nature and motives of some individuals. 

True crime also has a unique way of rallying communities in a way that not only leads to more growth and understanding about the genre but also creates a space in which people have the potential to help solve cases, which can be helpful when law enforcement is swamped or genuinely is out of leads to chase. In fact, one case that received media attention was that of Abraham Shakespeare in 2009, which was actually solved using the internet. His murderer was tracked down as she posted to online forums in which true crime consumers were discussing Shakespeare’s murder. 

Above all, true crime has a place in the justice system that extends far beyond “consuming content.” Without spreading awareness via the media, some cases would have gone unsolved. If not for the true crime subgroups online having discourse and attempting to dissect cases that are publicized, wrongful convictions would have been made without any rectification. The Innocence Project, for example, has a log of people who have been wrongfully convicted of a crime with the goal of trying to clear the conviction before it is too late.

It’s late at night, you get up and decide to grab a bag of chips and scroll through YouTube or Netflix to find something to curb your boredom.

As you’re scrolling you come across a dramatic thumbnail with blood splashes, the shocked face of the content creator and scary pictures of the killers or victims. It looks grotesque and entertaining so you decide to watch anyway.

That’s the reality for many that enjoy true crime media.

What is true crime?

True crime is a genre of entertainment that has gained massive popularity over the years. Any person can make up a crime, but the main attraction of true crime is the fact that there have been unusual and horrendous events that have occurred in real life.

The victims of the industry

That same attraction is also the issue with the genre. Real people and locations involved in different crimes could be revealed to the general public, which can bring danger of harassment to victims.

The Netflix true crime documentary “Unknown Number: The High School Catfish” follows the account of a young high school couple that was harassed over the course of several months via cyberbullying from an unknown number.

The unknown number was revealed to be the girl’s mother who was arrested and released while the documentary was in production. The film crew made the decision to record their reunion, and they also made a point to highlight their relationship as well.

Although the decision to film their meeting led to a more engaging narrative for the documentary, it also exploits the fragile relationship between mother and daughter in order to make a spectacle out of them.

Many victims and their families feel the need to appear on true crime shows and documentaries to help bring their case to the light and get help from citizens to solve the crimes.

While speaking up can bring awareness to the crime and lead to cases being solved, does making a spectacle out of the crime truly bring justice to the victims?

The dark side of producing true crime

Bailey Sarian, a true crime content creator known for her “Murder, Mystery & Makeup” series on YouTube is a prime example of what insensitive crime reporting is. The concept of Sarian sitting in a creepily decorated room in front of a camera and ring light doing her makeup while talking about some of the most gruesome murders in history is deeply disturbing to say the least.

Sarian is not the only content creator who monetizes from true crime.

Big name channels like A&E create shows out of crimes with re-enactments of real life events, interviews with victims, their families, friends and witnesses all with ominous music in the background to draw viewers in.

This isn’t how crimes should be shared.

The people covering the different crimes could be biased in their conclusions and create a narrative of real facts that is then pushed on their viewers.

Talking about crime and violence in a casual way also reduces the impact that the crime has on people, reducing real events to a quick story that can be commodified for entertainment purposes.

We’re not arguing against spreading awareness. The only true way to fully respect the victim is by having co-victims affected by the crime tell it. Not a YouTube or podcast creator and certainly not a multi-million dollar TV channel.

How viewers are affected

The victims aren’t the only ones affected by true crime.

If viewers want to learn more about criminal psychology then they can read case files, watch body-cam and interrogation videos from the police or listen to co-victim stories. Watching true crime can be harmful to viewers.

Consuming true crime can lead viewers to feel a heightened sense of fear and paranoia.

“It can increase our anxiety because we become hypervigilant. We’re always looking for the bad person. Every white van becomes the van of a killer or murderer,” Chivonna Childs, PhD, a psychologist with Cleveland Clinic said.

In juxtaposition viewers can also feel desensitisation to real-world suffering.

According to a poll by Vivent in 2023, 46% of individuals polled felt that entertainment was their motivation for consuming true crime.

It is impossible to deny that viewing gruesome torture and murder as entertainment is not harmful to viewers.

Around a year ago I came across a TikTok video of an edit to an individual I didn’t recognize. The photos looked grainy and the individual in the edit didn’t seem like a celebrity so I clicked on the comments to see whom this edit might be about. A like minded individual had commented asking who the edit was about and another user replied “Adam Lambert.” A quick google search showed that he was the individual who shot and killed 27 children and teachers at Sandy Hook elementary including his own mother.

I was appalled to say the least.

Why would anyone make a cutesy edit for the perpetrator of one of the most disgusting school shootings in history?

Curiosity emerged and I decided to explore the “#TCC” in the video’s bio.

TCC is the shortened name of an online community or fandom known as the True Crime Community originating from online forums.

The community, which is made up mostly of teens and young adults, treats real life killers such as Lambert or the Columbine school shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as celebrities. In fact, Harris and Klebold have a specific sub-fanbase that call themselves ‘Columbiners.’ A simple search of TCC on online platforms like TikTok, X or Tumblr will show thousands of accounts romanticising these criminals with edits, memes, and love confessions.

“Since the beginning of 2024, ISD has identified seven school shooters and nine attempted attackers with links to TCC. In several cases, analysts were able to identify social media accounts on platforms popular within TCC, such as Tumblr and Telegram, where the attackers participated in TCC communities,” the Institution for Strategic Dialogue stated.

The end goal

True crime can help give viewers exposure to terrible crimes and also give them insight about the process of finding accountability in the perpetrators. However, it is important to be careful about the implications of spreading that information. Without awareness for the victims and addressing nuances, true crime entertainment contributes to growing desensitization and a lack of empathy in audiences.

Its important that when sharing the facts of crime, producers not only stay empathetic and factual also co-victim centered.