True Crimes Anonymous: Responsible Storytelling.
True crime is junk food for the soul and I can’t stop buying it. 5 ways to filter out the bad stuff.
TLDNR: We need better labels, and to become better label readers.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines an addict as a person who can’t stop doing or using something, especially something knowingly harmful.
I looked up that definition one day in 2018. I’d found myself walking through a drizzly Leicester Square, listening to the last episode of a true crime podcast called Doctor Death. I'd left the house early so I could finish it before brunch with a friend. And not because I wanted to discuss the finale with her.
Somewhere during episode 5, I'd become conscious of the fact that I was choosing to listen to a story that was making my body recoil. Listening to it made me physically uncomfortable. Yet here I was, compulsively sneaking in the last episode before breakfast. It didn’t feel good. After confessing to my friend over flat whites and avocado toast (although at this point, I think I needed a bloody mary), I vowed to withdraw from true crime.
I opted out of seasons 2, 3 and 4 of Doctor Death. I rolled my eyes at anyone who mentioned watching Netflix's 'You'. When a girl I knew from school posted an Instagram story with the words “omg Penn Badgely is the sexiest serial killer of all time. No one can tell me otherwise”, 6 months after she had relentlessly posted about justice for Sarah Everard and the #TextMeWhenYouGetHome campaign, I almost lost my s**t.
Fast forward to March 2024, and I find myself stranded at Euston on a Sunday afternoon. Trains are at a standstill; I’ve given in to the urge to buy jelly snakes, and I’m watching a psychological documentary called The Curious Case of Natalia Grace on my tiny phone screen. It’s the equivalent of dulling away a bad day at the office with a glass of red and a bag of Doritos. It’s not a great choice, but like it’s not going to kill me, right? You can tell that it’s not my first relapse.
True crime isn’t new, but the way entertainment companies are distributing it and the way we’re consuming it is. Over the last few years, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and even Disney+ churned out a new true-crime and docuseries every month. Most of these shows let the victims, arbitrators, and those closest to them do the talking, and they let us, the viewers, do the deciding. They immerse us, unchaperoned, into a strange, disturbing story. They use shock tactics and cliffhangers to keep us hooked. The stories don’t have to come with a 'consume responsibly' label, nor do they have to come with the victim's consent. It’s basically, Pornhub 2.0. And none of us are talking about it.
You don’t have to be a true-crime investigator to see that desensitising a generation to violence and exploiting victims' stories for profit and entertainment, even if under the guise of social justice, isn’t a great move for society. So, perhaps it’s time for Netflix and other streaming platforms to improve their labelling, and for us to get better at reading the labels.
Until then, I’m back in recovery, and I’ll be filtering out my media consumption by asking myself these questions:
Was a victim in the story subjected to domestic violence, stalking, or abuse? Haven't I seen enough of those? (I.e., is this just another show about senseless violence?)
Who was involved in making this? Is this beneficial to the victim and or their family? Have the victims or families themselves consented to this being made?
Will I learn anything new from this? Will that information be useful to me? Is it challenging a genuine social issue that I’d like to know more about?
Have other media publications covered a similar story or discussed the program? If not, why not? If it’s an important issue, the Times Briefing Room, Tortoise Media, or your preferred media broadcasters will pick it up in one of their long-form briefing podcasts.
Can I substitute it with something else? Look out for genre tags.If you’re interested in human stories, try out podcasts and audiobooks in genres you’ve not tried before.
Written by Michelle | AntiSocial Marketer
