On September 11, 2021, the family of 22-year-old Gabby Petito reported her missing. She had been road-tripping in U.S. National Parks with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, when they stopped hearing from her. They soon found out that Laundrie had driven home from Wyoming to Florida without Petito, immediately hired a lawyer and refused to talk to the police (Maxouris, 2021).
Soon after Petito was reported missing, the story broke to the media and grabbed the attention of thousands across the United States. What followed was an intense social media campaign to help locate Petito and, hopefully, bring her home. Viral Tik Tok videos analyzed her Instagram captions and the grown-out roots of her blonde hair. Users picked apart recent body cam footage taken when Laundrie and Petito were pulled over in the middle of a fight. The most private parts of Petito and Laundrie’s lives were suddenly being very publicly scrutinized by true crime fans across the world.
This is not an unfamiliar story; cases like this have always intrigued the public. News stories, documentaries and, most recently, social media thrust these traumatic events, and those involved, into the public eye. The worst events of peoples’ lives are examined by millions of strangers who are then able to share their oftentimes ruthless opinions all over the internet. Tragic deaths and disappearances are viewed as entertainment, often with little regard for the feelings of the friends and family involved.
True crime content can certainly be problematic. On the other hand, the publicity surrounding these cases can often help solve them. In the case of Gabby Petito, the intense coverage of her story led to tips that eventually helped investigators locate her remains. So how can true crime viewers consume this content respectfully? Here are a few things to consider:
- Words matter. The language used to describe crimes, victims and perpetrators is a big deal. Using phrases like “sex with a minor” rather than “sexual abuse” or talking about how “hot” a serial killer was can cause serious harm.
- Remember who reads comments. Friends and family of the victim, other victims of similar crimes and impressionable young people all have access to the comments made about these cases on social media. It’s crucial to remember this when commenting.
- Viewers can escape, those involved can’t. It’s easy to watch a Youtube video on the disappearance of a young girl, get upset, write a comment accusing her mother of having something to do with it and move on. However, it’s important to remember that those close to the victim will never be able to walk away and the comments they read will stay with them.
- Help out. In many cases, viewers can take action to help out the victims and their families. Signing petitions, donating to funds and foundations, making calls to politicians and simply sending support to the friends and family of the victims.
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