True Crime Podcasts Are Unethical Entertainment

There’s something undeniably addictive about true crime podcasts. You press play on Spotify, as you pour a cup of tea, and settle in while an animated voice walks you through the details of a brutal homicide as if they’re recapping last night’s episode of Love Island. It’s exciting, however the details are disturbing.

However, the unsettling reality in all of this is: we are no longer mere consumers, we actively engage in the commercialisation of trauma.

True Crime with Kendall Rae | Image: Spotify

We have transformed genuine human pain into an aesthetic lifestyle. True crime serves as the grown-up equivalent of sharing ghost tales during sleepovers, but in this case, the ghost has a crowdfunding campaign, a family left behind, and a trial still in progress. Of course, let’s roll the upbeat opening tune and hear from our advertisers, because nothing conveys “justice for victims” quite like a smooth segue into a Hello Fresh commercial.

We enjoy asserting that it’s about raising awareness. But awareness of what specifically? That women are frequently killed.? It is not about activism, it’s about feelings. It’s the excitement of imagining yourself as an amateur sleuth from the comfort of your sofa, tea in hand, as someone else’s misfortune unfolds like a Netflix series.

I am guilty as charged. I’ve indulged.  I’ve listened. I’ve binged. I’ve gasped. However, at some point, I had to ask myself: am I learning from this, or just rubbernecking at someone’s worst day? The truth is these podcasts are profiting off other’s pain. Crime, violence, anguish, and suffering ought not to be sources of entertainment. These are genuine individuals, authentic lives, and true tragedies, not storylines for our morning stroll or ambient sound while doing laundry.

We can promote awareness, campaign for justice, and even address systemic problems without making someone’s hardest day a joke or suspenseful moment. There’s a boundary between storytelling and exploitation, and true crime frequently crosses it, neglecting that behind each episode is a mourning family that cannot pause or skip ahead.

25 Best True Crime Podcast Series To Listen To Right Now | Image: Woman’s Day

So, the next time you go to listen to a cleverly titled nightmare on Spotify or Apple Music, maybe pause. Question the thrill. Ask yourself: is this empathy, or just entertainment with a body count? Find a healthy hobby, that doesn’t exploit human pain and trauma. Try a baking podcast. The only thing getting sliced there is sourdough.

Justice isn’t content. Someone’s tragedy should not be your cosy Sunday night routine before you go back to your own safe reality.