True Crime Is Fun Until It Isn’t
Imagine the scene with me: It’s dark, and you’re snuggling under a cozy blanket with a warm drink on your right and a bucket of salted caramel popcorn on your left. Your TV is playing a crime series or a documentary, something you spent hours deciding on. The mood is set, and the atmosphere is ready to spook you for the night. It’s an escape from reality, a portal that shifts you from where you are into the horrors of someone else’s reality.
But the question is, have you ever thought about the consequences of consuming a lot of crime content? I personally never had until I reached the point of becoming so anxious about my surroundings that even an afternoon jog made me suspicious of the guy running right behind me. It made me look over my shoulder at every turn, committing each face to memory for later analysis. At night, I would gather all the faces in my mind and dissect every scene that had happened. That made me realize that what was happening in my reality was something I had taken from the screen.
When Entertainment Becomes Anxiety
As viewers who love the world of crime and the mystery with every clue, we need to train our minds not to take everything we see on the screen and apply it to our lives. We must also limit our consumption in order to remain grounded in the reality around us rather than the scenarios our minds create for us.
Otherwise, we begin to live in our heads while dismissing the reality around us. Life continues while fear prevents us from living in the moment.
True Crime Before Social Media
Before likes and taps began shaping content, crime documentaries were based on investigative and educational methods presented to help explore cases through all available means. This kind of mechanism was meant to engage people in investigations and encourage members of the public to notice clues and assist with the case.
Some well-known television shows that investigate recent crimes and reopened cold cases include the following:
48 Hours is one of the most popular TV series. It began in 1988 and continues to investigate cases through the lens of science, forensics, and clues provided by locals and eyewitnesses.
Cold Case Files investigates and explores unsolved cases by examining every lead through the lens of modern technology and other forensic developments.
Solved focuses on cases that, as the title suggests, have already been solved. Yet, the twist lies in how they were solved and what methods were used. These investigations encourage viewers to examine how evidence and forensic methods ultimately led to a resolution.
But Is Crime Really Just Content?
Crime continues to occupy creative spaces in the digital sphere, but behind the fun and spooky atmosphere we indulge in for a few hours of escape lies a reality that is difficult to overcome. It is a reality that continues to cause mental and physical pain to victims and everyone involved.
It’s important to acknowledge that what we consume as content and a late-night pastime is actually based on someone’s life, a tragedy of loss, and a mystery that may never have been solved.
Serial Killers Are Not Meant to Be Romanticized
Behind the closed doors of crime content and the gloomy atmosphere that creators use to gain viewers’ attention and eventually go viral is an untold story.
Kathy Kleiner was only 20 years old when she was attacked by Ted Bundy. Now in her sixties, she continues to recall every detail of the incident, from Bundy attacking her in her bedroom and beating her with a piece of wood to the severe facial injuries and broken jaw he left her with. Not only that, but two of her sorority sisters were murdered in their sleep in the dorm they shared.
As Netflix and other streaming services continue to focus heavily on Ted Bundy and other well-known serial killers, Kleiner was asked about being continuously reminded of him through streaming services and other media portrayals that sexualize him and minimize the brutality of his crimes. She stated, “I did not ask to be put on the journey with him in his life, with his killing and his abuse.”
In response to the thirst-trap trend and the romanticization of serial killers on social media, fueled by attractive actors starring in crime shows about serial killers such as Ted Bundy, Netflix responded on Twitter, now X, saying, “I’ve seen a lot of talk about Ted Bundy’s alleged hotness and would like to gently remind everyone that there are literally THOUSANDS of hot men on the service, almost all of whom are not convicted serial murderers.”
Why We Watch True Crime
In a survey conducted by BetterHelp about the reasons people consume true-crime content, the following statistics were found:
73% stated that they watch out of curiosity.
46% stated that they consume such content for entertainment purposes.
45% stated that they enjoy the mystery element.
33% stated that they watch for the storytelling element that increases their interest.
32% stated that they find the content fascinating.
10% stated that they watch for an adrenaline boost.
7% stated that they consume crime content to feel prepared and safe.
Crime Content and Mental Health
As much as we enjoy crime content and use it as an easy escape route to feel safe and emotionally stable, there is a limit. The line between entertainment and what is really happening to our mental health can become blurred without us acknowledging or even realizing it until it is too late.
Severe Anxiety and Fear
Feeling scared and anxious is one of the major side effects that can slither into our psyches without us knowing. It creates an enclosed environment in which we are continuously alert and afraid. This leads us to analyze every movement and speculate about every action, even when it is genuine and shows no signs of danger.
As Cleveland Clinic psychologist Dr. Chivonna Childs stated, “I always tell people that too much of anything is a bad thing, and when we watch too much true crime, we start to worry about the what-ifs. It can cause us to isolate and to not fully live our lives.”
Isolation
Heavy consumption of crime content creates a sense of continuous threat, which can lead to isolation and the perception of threats even from the people closest to us. Not only that, but even safe environments and people we have known and trusted all along can become sources of mistrust and fear.
Dr. Chivonna Childs says, “Your view of the world can easily change if you’re constantly consuming grisly murder stories. They can make you overly wary of others, even people you’ve known and trusted for a long time.”
Sleep Deprivation
With the stress of constantly being highly alert to suspected danger and potential threats, sleep can become difficult or disrupted. This connects to the anxiety and fear that begin as symptoms of heavily consuming crime content.
Sleep deprivation causes anxiety and keeps the mind highly active and alert, ready to detect every movement and analyze every action. Excessive true-crime consumption, particularly late at night, may contribute to disrupted sleep. This cycle of anxiety and sleep deprivation can also make it harder to concentrate and remember information.
A study conducted in 2021 showed that heavy consumption of crime content is connected to persistent paranoia and anxiety about potential danger, even when crime rates in one’s area are low.
Mean World Syndrome
Mean world syndrome is an all-encompassing term related to media consumption, specifically media content associated with violence and pain, such as crime content. The term was developed in 1969 by George Gerbner. According to the theory, media content influences how people think about and view the world.
As the term suggests, mean world syndrome refers to believing that the world is an evil place and considering everyone a suspect or potential source of danger. This can cause someone to lose trust in the world and the community as a whole, leading to the isolation and anxiety explained above.
Finding a Healthy Balance
If you’re like me and crime content is an essential part of your day, then you’re not alone. As much as scrolling through our social feeds and discovering new cases and updates is fun and entertaining, we must remember that this enjoyment is based on other people’s lives and trauma, which some may continue to suffer from.
There is no denying that many of us consume this content because it makes us feel more informed and cautious. However, for the sake of our mental health, we must remember the line between our reality and the stories presented on our screens.
Reading about crimes, listening to podcasts about them, and discussing them with our friends for entertainment, safety, or even as a hobby is acceptable. But please don’t take it so far that you lose yourself to the fear and scenarios your mind may create after a while.
Enjoy it, but don’t take it home with you. Your home and mind are safe spaces for peace and stability. Do not indulge in imagined threats or heavily analyze cases to the point that they affect your movements and actions in your own reality.