On November 13 of last year, Ethan Chapin (20), Madison Mogen (21), Xana Kernodle (20), and Kaylee Goncalves (21) were brutally murdered in their homes in Moscow, Idaho. The nature of the case made becoming viral effortless, as the victims were young white students with bright potential. The nation had its eyes fixated on this case. The internet started threads and videos on theories of who the murderer was or what evidence they could find from the victims’ Instagram profiles.
People on social media like to insert themselves into true crime cases. The term ‘cybersleuth’ is defined as “a person who does any kind of detective work using the Internet.” An example of this could be seen with the murder of Gabby Petito. As her case went viral, thousands of people jumped on their social media and started analyzing everything from the location of her last post to Gabby Petito’s Spotify account. As more and more conspiracy theories and suspicions were posted on the internet, one travel blogger realized she had footage of Petito’s van when she was tagged on a social media post asking all Grand Teton National Park visitors on August 27 to check their footage. This footage aided the investigation, and Gabby Petito’s body was found the next day. While this was a case of cybersleuths successfully helping out in a case, there is also a negative side to this practice.
In the case of the Idaho Murders, many theorized and accused people with no evidence. An example of this was when a tarot reader on TikTok accused Rebecca Schofield, a professor at the University of Idaho, of murder. Having allegedly made 30 videos accusing Schofield, the Tiktoker is currently being sued for defamation by Schofield herself. This not only harms the case and the falsely accused, but it also brings in false hope and reminds the victim’s loved ones of a traumatic incident. Online sleuthing can be a double-edged sword. Then the question must be asked, what causes this phenomenon? Why is there so much attention on these types of cases?
In a YouGov poll, half of the participants said they enjoyed the true crime genre. Interestingly, the poll also showed that women are more likely than men to have said that they enjoy the true crime genre. A study on why women are drawn to crime stories found that women were more likely to consume true crime media due to the fear of becoming victims, as females were usually the victims in the stories covered. From these cases, women can learn survival tactics and the psychology of what caused the murderers to kill. Another explanation for this true crime fascination could be morbid curiosity. Morbid curiosity is defined as a fascination with grisly matters. Humans have always been interested in death, whether we seek the knowledge or the thrill of brushing against it. It gives us control. We enjoy things that thrill us, such as rollercoasters. They provide us with the adrenaline rush, but we know they won’t kill us. We have all questioned what life, death, and the afterlife is. Coltan Scrivner, a behavioral scientist and author, states that “morbid curiosity is a common psychological phenomenon” that satisfies our need to know the unknown. Perhaps it is also the desire to feel control in a world of uncertainty. Where dark crimes like murder exist, and anyone can be a victim.
Next time you find yourself reading, listening to, or watching true crime, ask yourself what the reason for it is. Is it to learn survival tactics? Explore the psychology of the killer? Or simply for the thrill?
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.