A Quick Dive Into True Crime (article)

 Have you ever stayed up late to binge watch that new true crime docuseries you’ve been eyeing on Netflix? Or maybe found yourself deep on that side of youtube theorising with web sleuths? You know it’s a really tragic story but there’s just something compelling about it that makes you grip your seat, grit your teeth, and keep on watching. Sounds familiar? But what is true crime anyway and why can it be so addictive?

True crime is a nonfiction genre narrating real-life tales of horror and crime. From biographies written in great detail of the most high-profile serial killers, to movies and documentaries depicting sensational crimes of the past, this riveting genre has captured the imagination and interest of many and continues to do so.

The exact origin of the true crime genre is murky waters. In Britain during the 16th century, crime pamphlets detailing murders accompanied with graphic illustrations started circulating. As the 20th century approached, true crime shifted to more modern media including movies, tv series, documentaries, podcasts, etc. with murder mysteries infiltrating pop culture in mid to late 2010s.

Despite its unsettling content, the genre proves to be popular amongst the general public. Through the lense of an author, Janice Holly Booth, who wrote Voice out of Nowhere: Inside the Mind of a Mass Murderer, suggests that the fascination with true crime stems from the desire to deconstruct the mystery that shrouds these cases and get to the dark heart of it. According to psychologist Dr. Meg Aroll, despite the gruesome content, true crime allows us to explore the darker side of human nature at a safe distance.

True crime may also come in the form of a puzzle, a sort of challenge that stimulates the brain that makes people want to solve them, said Dr Katherine Ramsland, a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University. Another reason may be because true crime appeals to our instinct to survive, that fear drives us to pay attention to things and learn as much as we can so we can avoid them and ensure our safety, said Emily Mendez, M.S., Ed.S., a published writer and expert on mental health, psychology, deviant behaviour, and criminology. This may be a plausible reason as to why the majority of the audience of this type of media are women.

According to social psychologist Amanda Vicary, even if they aren’t aware, women learn information from true crime media and understand the psychology behind the killer so they can protect themselves from danger. Spotify noted an increase of listeners by 16% among women in 2019 compared to 2018. From Jan-July 2020, YouTube disclosed that over 60% of true crime community views came from female viewers. For the lovers of murder and mystery, youtuber Bailey Sarian has found a way to incorporate true crime and strange events storytelling while doing her “get ready with me” makeup videos.

In the Philippines, the situation is no different. People have taken an interest in consuming true crime media, and the charts from streaming platforms will prove so. Recent Netflix docuseries Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, a documentary about the infamous Cecil Hotel and the mysterious death of Elisa Lam, quickly claimed the top spot on the “Top 10 in the Philippines Today” charts upon its release.

The recent case of the late Christine Dacera, a flight attendant who was found unresponsive in a hotel bathtub on New Year’s Day, has quickly gained traction and became a national sensation as people cried out for justice for the alleged rape-slay of the flight attendant. Inconsistencies from initial reports from the police have prosecutors raising questions about the investigation and later stated that the pieces of evidence submitted were insufficient to establish the rape-slay allegation. From Twitter threads to Facebook group pages “brainstorming” about Dacera’s case, to podcasts discussing how the case was apparently handled wrong by the police, the public’s outrage was at its peak.

Society’s captivation with true crime is nothing new and, indeed, has been around for a long time, furthered today by social media. The interest in crime-solving and deconstructing mysteries amongst the public is at an all time high and can encourage empathy and truth-seeking for the victims. When consuming this type of media, one should, however, be mindful of ethics and morality, and to recognize when to step back a little so as not to be desensitised to it all.

Start your true crime journey today by listening to Lagim. Make sure to find Lagim Podcast on any of your favourite podcasting platforms such as Spotify, Anchor FM, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. Also, make sure you follow Lagim on Instagram @lagimpodcast for more true crime content and for links to other social media accounts including YouTube, Twitter and TikTok.

References:

Andrade, J. I. (2021, January 27). Police to submit new evidence vs respondents in dacera case. Philippine daily Inquirer. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1388688/police-to-submit-new-evidence-vs-respondents-in-dacera-case

Burger, P. (2016, August 24) The bloody history of the true crime genre. Jstor Daily. Retrieved from https://daily.jstor.org/bloody-history-of-true-crime-genre/

Mccarthy, E. (2018, October 10). 12 reasons we love true crime, according to experts. Mental Floss. Retrieved from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/559256/why-we-love-true-crime

Scherman, J. (2019, April 08). The psychology behind society’s true crime obsession. Rasmussen University. Retrieved from https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/justice-studies/blog/true-crime-obsession/

Sostrin, J. (2020, September 11). ‘Mystery and makeup’ is an emerging popular style of true crime vlogging. YouTube Official Blog. Retrieved from https://blog.youtube/culture-and-trends/mystery-and-makeup-emerging-popular-style-tru e-crime-vlogging/

Spotify. (2020, January 29). Social psychologist amanda vicary and spotify reveal why women are so obsessed with true crime—And share 4 new podcasts coming in 2020. Retrieved from https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-01-29/social-psychologist-amanda-vicary-and-spotif y-reveal-why-women-are-so-obsessed-with-true-crime-and-share-4-new-podcasts-comi ng-in-2020/