Not Cute: Stop Consuming the Wrong True Crime Media
By Pilar Ortego | Magazine | December 16, 2022
Cover Illustration: Cameraman taking a video. Cottonbro Studio / Pexels
Magazine reporter Pilar Ortego, in examining the popular Netflix series based on the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, explores the dark side of the true crime genre that glamorizes murderers as pop icons while disregarding the victims’ stories.
While checking my phone right after waking up (as one does), I recently encountered a disturbing TikTok. It was a video by a ‘true crime’ account, describing in unnecessary detail the gruesome murder of four American university students. My first thought was of total shock and sorrow for the victims. But after the initial surprise, I couldn’t help but think of the family members, friends and acquaintances of all the victims. Most importantly, because of the vast viewership and popularity of the video, the chances of them coming across the exact same TikTok as me is high. This experience made me completely rethink entertainment focused on true crime.
“What would I do if I was in the family’s shoes?”, I asked myself. What would I do if one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life was broadcasted on social media like some kind of murder mystery game? I couldn’t help but feel like I was witnessing something I wasn’t supposed to. By watching a TikTok video, I learned information that no one outside the authorities or the victims’ families should know.
This experience got me thinking about true crime as a genre in general. I consume this type of media occasionally, but it brings out a few questions for me. Where do we draw the line? When is it too much? I found the answers in a recent occurrence within the true-crime community.
On September 21, Netflix released Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The series narrates the story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer—before, during and after committing several murders. Well over two months after its release, the murderer and his story are still relevant in online discourse. People have created ‘fan clubs’, cosplayed him on social media and even manufactured merchandise. Knowing all of this, I only wonder how the victims’ families must have perceived the show’s success. It goes without saying that releasing such videos is disrespectful to the victims’ integrity and their families, not to mention the message it sends when treating a serial killer as a pop icon is normalized.
Personally, this is the most dangerous aspect of true crime. It is not inherently wrong to produce or consume it. However, the limit is crossed the second we start idolizing the people that committed these heinous crimes. As consumers of true crime, we have a responsibility to uphold the victim’s dignity. Therefore, we should refuse to consume any type of media that attempts to glamorize murderers. Perhaps the only ethical way to consume true crime is to not consume it at all. At the end of the day, Hollywood is a money-making business like any other. If true crime projects fail to be lucrative, they will move on to the next big thing. Yet, I am aware that this is hardly an option since so many people enjoy the genre.
The only conclusion I can come to is that if you insist on consuming true crime, carefully consider what kind of content you are watching. Choose creators that have taken the time to do proper research, maybe creators that have given the victim’s families a voice, or creators whose focus is remembering the victim rather than the killer. The next time you consume true crime ask yourself: “How would the victim feel about this?”
“Where do we draw the line? When is it too much?”
Pilar Ortego is a university student in Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer.
