True Crime: When Does Curiosity Become Invasive?

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Today, there is undoubtedly a significant audience for the true crime genre. It is accessible through podcasts, documentaries, TV shows, books and practically all social media platforms. The problem we are now facing is that true crime is portraying serious crimes as stories. This issue contributes to it becoming more invasive to the real people involved.

Originally, true crime was factual reporting. Journalists would gather their information from police reports and turn it into “true crime.” Somehow, over time it has evolved into this narrative style, primarily taken on by YouTube and TikTok creators. Social media has played a large role in popularizing true crime. TikTok creator @marianneafsu has over 3 million followers and over 101 million likes. Her account contains tales of true crime and other gruesome stories. Real Stories on YouTube has over 5 million subscribers and claims to produce “award-winning” true crime documentaries.  

It’s not well known where these creators gather their information. It could be accurate, and it very well could not be. The only way to know for sure is by doing your own research, which many aren’t willing to do. With that being said, the point of these social media accounts isn’t necessarily to inform – it is to excite. They hook viewers in with a scary story that you can’t bear to not hear the end of. It takes a real person’s life and transforms it into an intriguing storyline. Not only do these stories pry into the lives of those affected, but they create a false understanding of the criminal justice system for their audience. 

Former jury consultant and current criminal justice professor at Marist Dr. Judith Platania said, “Jurors now need to be questioned about the shows that they watch because they feel that they have greater insight from watching these shows.” True crime is warping the general public's views, so much so that they may not be able to participate in the democratic process because of it. Viewers are often misled into believing they have a better understanding of real criminal cases.

Additionally, creators of modern true crime seem to have no sympathy for those involved in the cases they discuss. The industry capitalizes on the exploitation of individuals’ tragedies, forcing the victims, and those closest to them to relive their most traumatic moments for the entertainment of others. Only to add to the list, they tend to pounce on stories while they’re either still developing or were just recently solved. 

The Guardian reported that BBC contacted Sarah Sak only four months after the murder of her son, 23-year-old Anthony Walgate. They wanted to involve Sak in a drama about her son’s killer. After going through an event as traumatic as this, there is no question whether or not it would be difficult to be a part of something like this program so soon after the events.

We see this happen on a larger scale with the case of Gabby Petito, a case that was still evolving when true crime fanatics got their hands on it. Twenty-two-year-old Petito had gone missing in September of 2021 while traveling across the United States with her then-fiance, Brian Laundrie. Soon after the news got out, true crime accounts wasted no time in covering the story. 

The case was of high interest before officials made any arrests or convictions, prompting viewers to try to solve the case on their own. Under the hashtag #gabbypetito, videos have over two billion views on TikTok and over 27,000 posts on Instagram.

While the overwhelming attention brought to the case helped to shed light on traveling safety, especially for women, it also encroached on the privacy of Petito’s grieving family as well as the officials trying to solve this case. To add to this, there is already a movie called “The Gabby Petito Story” coming out on Lifetime on Saturday, October 1. The LifetimeTV TikTok account faced backlash from viewers after they posted a trailer for the new movie. One user commented, “I feel like this is way too early. And too much is still unknown.”

Modern true crime becoming as popular as it is has certainly caused many to question its ethical aspects. There is a point where interest in the genre crosses the line of curiosity and becomes invasive, and this is happening more often today. It is important that fans and viewers are aware and respectful of the real people and situations behind the content.