True Crime- Why are People so Obsessed

Why are people so obsessed with true crime? Is it the mystery of who did it? Or how could someone do that? There are plenty of crime shows that we just love to sit down and watch. I just finished watching the Murdaugh murders and I was so plugged in trying to figure out why he killed them, but it’s impossible to really know.

The reason people are obsessed with true crime is because it keeps us on our feet and wanting to know what happened. We develop questions about why we think the suspect might have murdered the victim, or why we think the suspect had planned to murder the victim. It makes people feel like we are a part of the investigation. True crime feeds our natural desire for curiosity. As humans, we always want to know the “why” of things. With true crime, there's more than just the why, it’s the who, what, where, and when. Being a fan of true crime, what draws me in is wanting to know the psychology behind what they did—wanting to know what was going through the suspect's mind to commit such a crime to an innocent person. Also hearing that the crime was real draws me in because it’s the idea that someone in this world was sick enough to commit such a crime and possibly get away with it for so long. 

Some may say people are obsessed with true crime because it helps us understand what to do in situations that are shown on true crime TV. An article from The Independent talked about how people who watch true crime may feel more prepared, or help them avoid dangerous situations in the first place. 

On October 7th of last year, the Jeffery Dahmer documentary came out and it had people hooked! The documentary went in depth about the serial killer's childhood, and his obsession with bones and killing animals. It also talked about his earlier years as a child and being neglected. This draws viewers in because it shows us inside Dahmer's childhood and what made him the person he was. The audience can also see how the police failed to catch Dahmer and he got away with it for 13 years. Watching the documentary is shocking, and can be very gruesome, however, I think this is what intrigues us as humans.