«Here I live, here I exist. I don’t care. I am who I am – a killer,” says Gary Black, a lead in the fourth season of “I Am A Killer,” which premiered on Netflix at the end of December.
Black is wheeled into the interrogation room, his hands in handcuffs on his lap. He starts talking about the event, which is why he has been behind bars in Missouri since 1998.
Like the seasons before it and several other true crime documentaries, “I Am A Killer” reached No. 1 on the Netflix charts. Netflix dedicates its own theme page to the true crime genre, on which you can scroll endlessly, the range is that great.
Podcasts are also very popular. While three new true crime podcast formats were released on Spotify and iTunes in 2017, there will be 120 by 2022, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.
But why is this genre so fascinating? Dr Steffen Lau, chief physician and deputy clinic director for forensic psychiatry at the psychiatric university clinic in Zurich, knows this. In an interview with Watson he speaks of the so-called fear-lust. This describes the emotional state of feeling pleasure in a fearful situation.
watson: Why is true crime fascinating?
dr medical Steffen Lau: True crime has an effect similar to horror, namely the so-called anxiety. Evil is everywhere, and even looking at it in the safe house, you don’t feel 100% safe.
Added to this is the fascination that there is something “very close” that is deeply inscrutable.
Has true crime always been a cultural phenomenon or is it a new trend?
That humanity is interested in crime is a well-known fact. Crime reports have been around since newspapers existed. We know this police search program very early from television, “Aktenzeichen XY” (runs on ZDF since 1967). So the genre has been around for a long time.
Has the rise of streaming services fanned the flame?
Where we used to have to wait until a program came on once a month in the evening, media is now available in a different way and you can control consumption yourself. The demand for true crime was fueled by the increased consumption opportunity, not the number of documentaries.
Podcasts in this genre have also become increasingly popular. How have you contributed to this genre?
It started with books, then newspapers, and now we live in the world of digital media. That’s why I believe that what people used to eat elsewhere (but differently) is served here. Consumption has become easier. When it comes to streaming, once I buy a subscription, I watch everything I can download for “free”.
It seems that women consume more true crime media than men.
That really seems to be the case.
Why is that?
I have no real explanation for this. Possibly because you get pretty close to the whole without being involved yourself? Men experience the tension differently than women, more directly and riskier, for example as a spectator at a boxing match or in the stadium, where emotions also encourage fights. Women probably prefer to consume the sensation in safety.
What negative effects does it have if criminals are offered a platform?
Some offenders are okay with being delinquent and violent, and giving them a stage feeds their narcissism.
Could there be copycat offenders?
This is probably not the case with an abstract format like a podcast. Such documentaries do not entice people to commit similar crimes. I believe that the free availability of violent videos is much more problematic than listening to a podcast.
What About Violence in Netflix Documentaries?
It’s similar there. If the documentation is done right, it mostly adds to the enlightenment.
What are the negative effects of true crime documentaries on viewers?
You can retraumatize former victims. However, many documentaries these days feature trigger warnings to prevent this.
And positive effects?
When done well, they contribute to understanding and reduce prejudice against the perpetrators without excusing the actions. Here, however, producers must feel obliged to also provide information and not just to make quotas.
Does it make a difference to the viewer to know that the crime is real and not a made-up crime?
When I see a thriller, it’s very easy for me to step back and say it’s all fake blood. This distancing doesn’t happen with True Crime. The whole thing is getting closer and closer and it gives that special kick of anxiety because the chance that something could happen to me is more obvious. And maybe it makes a special attraction that you got away again.
Source: Watson
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
