The Real Project: True Crime, Media, and What Happens When Everyone’s Watching

Welcome back! This post marks the second installment in my new blog series, which aims to offer a behind-the-scenes look at my current writing project—part accountability tool, part creative lab, part chance to connect with others curious about similar questions.

But this post is where we get to the heart of the matter: the real project. The one that got this whole thing rolling.

I’ve been writing and publishing in the academic space for years, largely in psychology—especially forensic and positive psychology—through both qualitative and quantitative research. My work has spanned topics from eyewitness testimony to human resilience. But this new project? It’s a bit different. And it started, oddly enough, during a summer run.

It was the summer of 2023. Like I often do, I was out on a run, earbuds in, zoning out and catching up on a podcast. In all honesty, I hadn’t really been big into podcasts (I still am not), but I had started listening to a couple and had been enjoying it to be distracted from the misery of my longer runs. That summer, I had just begun listening to a true crime podcast (I’ll keep which one confidential for now)—something I hadn’t been especially into before. But a particular case caught my attention, and as I listened to episode after episode, I noticed something. Not just about the case itself, but about the media around the case and the fanbase commenting on the podcast’s social media accounts.

People were devoting incredible time and effort to parsing through case details, often engaging with each other online, speculating, analyzing, arguing. And not just the podcast hosts or journalists—regular folks. People in other states, even other countries. And it hit me: this was something new. And that really began the start of the project: what started as idle listening turned into a set of research questions.

True Crime Meets Media Culture

As someone with a background in forensic psychology and criminal justice, I’ve long been interested in the intersection of psychology and crime. But this moment—this sudden clarity mid-jog—launched me into a new line of inquiry: the role of true crime media in shaping public perception and even, potentially, influencing criminal investigations.

What does it mean when thousands (or millions) of people are following an unsolved case through a podcast or subreddit? What happens when social media allows every person to contribute theories, share evidence, or even try to "solve" a case from afar?

We’ve had moral panics before, and collective obsessions with crime are nothing new—think In Cold Blood or the televised O.J. Simpson trial. But this is different. This is decentralized. This is digital. This is potentially influential in ways we don’t yet fully understand.

So I started asking questions. Then I started interviewing people.

The Research: Who’s Telling the Story—and Why?

In fall 2023, I launched a qualitative research project focused on true crime podcasters. I wanted to understand their motivations, their methods, and how they see their role in public discourse. I interviewed dozens of creators, then expanded my scope to include victims’ advocates—many of whom have stepped into the spotlight thanks to podcast coverage of the cases they’re involved in. Victims’ advocacy isn’t new, of course. But its public visibility and impact have surged thanks to social media and podcast platforms. I became especially interested in how this shift has changed advocacy efforts—sometimes helping to mobilize support, sometimes introducing new challenges.

Next, I turned to law enforcement and criminal justice professionals. What impact, if any, does true crime media have on ongoing investigations? Does public obsession help or hinder? How do investigators feel when an unsolved case becomes a social media phenomenon? The investigator’s perspectives on unsolved cases was truly fascinating, an interesting compliment and contrast to the perspectives of the advocates and content creators.

There has been so much information, so many perspectives on the same issue, it’s been a bit overwhelming. Since Fall of 2023, with the help of some fantastic colleagues, I conducted nearly 40 interviews and analyzed the data. We’re now finalizing the manuscript for an article that explores these intersections—we should be submitting for peer review in the next weeks and we’re hoping it’ll be published by Winter 2025!  (If you’re curious about the research or want to read a preprint, shoot me an email—happy to share.)

The Part That Didn’t Fit: Writing the Book

As any qualitative researcher will tell you, not everything makes it into the article. In fact, a lot doesn’t. Throughout this project, I’ve come across fascinating ideas, tangents, and side stories that don’t quite belong in a scholarly journal. Some of it’s too speculative. Some of it’s too quirky. Some of it’s just too much.

But it’s too good to leave behind.

So I’m writing a book.

Right now, I’m not sure exactly what shape the book will take. It might end up as a textbook for students in criminal justice, psychology, or media studies—or it might be more of a general-audience deep dive into true crime culture and its ripple effects in the real world. Maybe a bit of both. But it’s the project I’ve been slowly building toward for the past year and a half and I’m excited for what’s coming next.

And this blog? It’s going to document that process. Expect updates, drafts, ideas, detours, and some rough sketches along the way. Think of it as the lab notebook for this new phase of the project.

Let’s Talk True Crime

If you’ve ever found yourself obsessively following a case, or arguing in a group chat about a documentary’s final episode, or wondering whether a podcast host might be onto something—you’re in the right place. I’d love to hear your thoughts on true crime, your experiences with the genre, and what questions you think we should be asking. Feel free to comment or reach out.

Until next time,

-Dr. G