In recent years, there has been dramatic growth in a particular podcast genre: true crime. Perhaps the blame for this rise can be attributed to shows like Criminal Minds, exposing us to dramatized murders, after which our favorite, lovable characters save the day. But Criminal Minds is fictional, so the question remains: why are we so fascinated by true crime, by real murderers? How can such a morbid topic attract our attention so easily? Why are women in particular associated with this interest?
Today, I am going to discuss the reasons behind this obsession, and more importantly, the implications it presents.
Believe it or not, we’ve actually been obsessed with true crime for a lot longer than podcasts have been around. Before social media, people would pay to see public trials and executions of murderers. They read true crime novels with the same compulsion we are familiar with today. Looking back even further, it becomes clear that our fascination with the morbid is not anything new. Think back to ancient Rome, where emperors and citizens alike found entertainment in the gruesome gladiator fights of the Colosseum.
We’ve even coined a term for this phenomenon: morbid fascination. Perhaps this is one reason why true crime has us so captivated, but there’s certainly more to it.
In fact, there are many subconscious reasons we enjoy true crime. Psychologists say that learning about true crime gives us an opportunity to be relieved that we are not the victim. This might also account for the fact that women are the primary audience of true crime media; subconsciously aware of being within the most common demographic of murder victims, the relief at being safe from any given killer is amplified. In addition, women might feel the need to consume true crime media to learn how to more effectively protect themselves from predators.
Women being the consistent target of violence from men has unintentionally led to the growth in true crime media, and in this way, the fascination with true crime inherently derives from age-old misogyny.
The only question remaining is how we should approach this obsession. Is it ethical to let this continue? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. On the one hand, perhaps true crime media actually does keep people educated on staying safe and avoiding dangerous situations. On the other hand, perhaps the popularization of true crime motivates some sick minds who desire attention to commit murder.
As the interest grows, so does the market, and more and more true crime podcasts are debuting. Is it ethical for content creators to profit off of someone else’s tragedy? Would asking the victim’s family for permission to create content be a feasible solution, or would that simply exacerbate the problem by intruding on the lives of families who wish to move on?
Condemning or condoning content in the media is a slippery slope even when murder isn’t involved. While true crime podcasts continue to be mass-produced heedless of controversy, perhaps all we can do is redirect our focus to preventing the crime itself.