I'm going to be honest: I hate even looking at this haunted forest. My eyes don't stay open beyond the previews when I watch a horror movie, and I refuse to enter a room without turning a light on. Despite all of this, though, when I'm feeling especially anxious or need to unwind, where do I turn? True crime podcasts. 

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That's right, baby. Whisper every gory detail straight into my ear. If I'm home alone and feeling lonely, nothing makes me feel better than the sound of someone else's voice... telling me about notorious serial killers and unsolved kidnappings. It creeps my boyfriend out. My freshman-year roommate was horrified. Still, by the sheer quantity of listening content available online, it's clear that I'm far from alone in this obsession. So what gives? 

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Statistically, this was one of the more likely gruesome hobbies for me to take up. According to the Illinois News Bureau, 70% of reviews for true crime books are written by women, despite men completely dominating other violent genres. Although there's limited research done on why (and really, I can't imagine what that research would look like), a popular theory is that women, who are frequently the victims of violent crimes, enjoy learning what to avoid. 

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Even as an avid listener, I can't entirely explain the draw. I've recapped the contents of fascinating episodes to my friends and, as the words are coming out of my mouth, have felt absolutely horrified. Beyond fearing for my psyche, I've also at times wondered if this type of content could be considered exploitative. 

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In 2017, YouTuber Gabbie Hanna uploaded a video called "the time a girl died in seventh period." She recounted one of her personal true-crime experiences, about a girl who died at her high school. In the typical fashion of the genre, she gave a background of the student, explained the incident, and highlighted the aftermath. The only problem was, she got many details wrong and tarnished the legacy of her classmate... whose parents watched the video. 

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Though this one-off incident was horrible enough to re-examine the entire genre, I think it overall does more harm than good. Many of the cases which are most widely covered are ancient history. Others, that are more obscure, seek to bring attention to ongoing investigations that aren't getting the media coverage they deserve. These brushed-aside cases are frequently crimes committed against minority groups and/or people with lower incomes. 

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My Favorite Murder, one of the most popular podcasts on the subject, has used their massive audience and storytelling capabilities to raise funds for nonprofits like End the Backlog, which seeks to expedite the processing of rape kits. These kits will otherwise often sit untouched for years while victims wait for justice. 

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Yeah, it's weird, but who doesn't love a good bedtime story? With charitable efforts from big creators, I'd argue that it's gore for good. 

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