I will admit, I downloaded TikTok at the beginning of the pandemic in an attempt to mindlessly entertain myself – and it worked pretty well. One of the things that I noticed was that the presence of true crime fanatics translated almost immediately from Youtube to TikTok. I’ve always had a pretty weak stomach when it comes to consuming disturbing content (like horror movies and depictions of serial killers), but it was nearly impossible to avoid it on my for you page. I also realized that quite a few of my friends were really interested in this sort of subject, so I began diving into the phenomena to try and find the appeal. I realized more than anything that people have an incredible tolerance for unsettling stories and images. There are always a few videos on my fyp with comments like ‘don’t click the link you’ll regret it’ and ‘I don’t claim the negative energy from this video’ so I was always curious as to why people would choose to seek a deeper experience with these conspiracies and gory types of videos.
It’s like the metaphor of a car crash, you can’t look away no matter how much you want to and probably should. There was also a big wave of popularity in 2019 for the true crime documentary titled “Don’t F**k with Cats”. There are a few reasons for which I (and others) believe people find these sorts of documentaries, podcasts, articles and videos to be so fascinating – inspiration (they romanticize the actions of these criminals and aspire to be like them), research (they want to find out what makes a person fall into the life of crime and how to avoid it or those kinds of people), or just a general spirit of curiosity. The curiosity aspect of this interest can be seen in a few ways, whether its because of the murder-mystery appeal, seeing how you would respond if you were a victim of these crimes, being inspirired by the perserverence of certain victims, or just simply because it is someow piquing an interest.
One of the main topics that has always been a point of contention for me is the romanticization of serial killers. Why are there so many high-budget movies out there that glamorize a life of running from the law while ending innocent lives? I don’t mean to glamorize as in the serial killers are living their best lives while going shopping in Paris, but rather the humanising of these people in attempts of making target audiences feel empathetic. Examples of this sort of display are getting Zac Efron to play Ted Bundy in a movie, Penn Badgley in YOU and Ross Lynch as Jeffrey Dahmer. A big argument that I have seen resurfacing lately is the fact that these films and depictions of serial killers as suave, meticulous and successful in their plans not only downplay the severity of their actions, but also create a narrative that almost erases the suffering of their victims.
I have to say I haven’t been to this side of the internet as much, but I still vividly remembers when people on Tiktok defended Cameron Herrin (convicted felon for killing a mother and her daughter) because he just looked “too handsome.” It seems that the internet sets up this distance between people and eradicates sympathy. At which point it’s not even romanticization, but the obsession of the killers.
I was exposed to romanticizing serial killers way before I got into true crime. I remember watching a YouTube commentary video about the true-crime community on Tumblr. Compared to what is happening on TikTok right now Tumblr was a complete hardcore. People would glorify people like Dylan Klebold (one of the Columbine school shooters), write fanfictions about them, and put flower crowns on their pictures. One of my ‘favorite’ reoccurring themes has to be the “I could change them” trope. No, you couldn’t.
I guess it shows how the Internet detaches some people from the real world, to the point where their moral compass seems to be completely opposite to what one could expect from a sane person.
I agree with how unsettling the romanticisation of criminals really is. I get chills when I see young girls and women mention how in love they are with Joe from YOU. I also think that there are in general also a lot of young people, for example on Tumblr, where real-life criminals get romanticized and these criminals get seen as desirable. I think this rings true to how media influences the way we look at people, their status and how desirable they are.