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As our culture continues to progress so does our accessibility. As I discussed in the previous article Social Media and the age of the internet is a large part of why everything is so accessible. But how does True Crime affect us as a culture? True Crime has become a staple in American pop culture. Adam Golub, an American studies professor at Cal State Fullerton, discusses the connections between true crime and pop culture. He explores how these connections contribute to societal fears and how we as a culture cope with acts of violence.

“Pop culture is a place where choices are made — choices about the stories we tell and the stories we don’t tell, the people and events we remember, and those we forget,”

Adam expresses this claim in his research with the TikTok dance trend to the song Cannibal. In the song, Kesha references Jeffrey Dahmer. If a person does not understand why this name was referenced they may want to find out due to curiosity. This exposes them to horrific crimes they may not of known about beforehand. Or if one already knows of Jeffrey Dahmer and what he's done it just puts him at the center of this popular culture. I personally love the song Cannibal by Kesha, but can understand why it may of been in bad taste to add his name. It almost undermines what he has done, as if it was this normality.

“Pop culture can potentially keep us informed about certain crimes, so much so that we can become our own experts on Dahmer and (Charles) Manson. It doesn’t necessarily challenge us to come to terms with these horrors,”

Popular culture seems to favor serial killers who have committed outrageous and horrific acts. Whatever is deemed the most "entertaining" of stories is what are told. That doesn't mean these stories don't deserve to be told, but they aren't being told for the right reasons. The victims or people who have suffered due to these crimes aren't being highlighted. Adam mentions that we never see pop culture stories about violence against the trans communities, mass-shootings, etc. This is an example of crimes against people who are of a different race, gender, or class are not acknowledged. These crimes aren't "entertaining" or worth highlighting to our culture. Adam mentions that stories not deemed worthy of a pop culture presence reflects our societies unwillingness to recognize the violence happening against marginalized communities. This creates an unfortunate silence. As the realm of social media has begun to shift, Adam is hopeful change can be made for the future.

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Podcasts playing in freeway traffic, star-studded movie casts and TikTok dance challenges come together to mold true crime into entertainment - setting the stage for "real-life monsters " to take hold of American pop culture.

For Adam Golub, a professor of American studies at Cal State Fullerton, understanding the connections between true crime narratives and pop culture is about more than recognizing explicit references in songs, shows and film. It's about understanding what these connections say about society's fears, anxieties and their collective ability to cope with violence.

"Pop culture is a place where choices are made - choices about the stories we tell and the stories we don't tell, the people and events we remember, and those we forget," said Golub. "Real criminals become part of our meme and remix culture, circulating with fictional characters and other types."

Adam Golub, professor of American studies

Golub recently published his research in the journal Crime Fiction Studieswith a foreword titled "Criminal Crossovers." To illustrate the mixing and remixing of true crime narratives into pop culture, Golub opens his essay with an analysis of a TikTok dance trend from 2020 called "cannibal challenge" inspired by Kesha's 2010 song "Cannibal."

The song's reference to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer illustrates how pop culture works in contradicting ways, both introducing consumers to crime and simultaneously undermining it with surface level references, explained Golub.

"Pop culture can potentially keep us informed about certain crimes, so much so that we can become our own experts on Dahmer and (Charles) Manson. It doesn't necessarily challenge us to come to terms with these horrors," said Golub.

Golub's research found that popular culture favors serial killers, husbands who killed their wives or celebrity murders, each narrative sprinkled with an element of "how could this happen?" The people in these narratives are almost always white and from a wealthier class.

"For instance, how many pop culture stories do we see about real police violence, or real violence against the transgender community, or mass shootings, or white-collar crime?" asked Golub.

True crime has held public interest for over 200 years, starting with the penny press and tabloid journalism in the 19th century, followed by magazines, books, film and television reenactments in the 20th century. More recently, the rise of the digital age has redefined true crime content.

Popular streaming platforms like Netflix retell infamous stories with star-studded films, including Zac Efron's portrayal of Ted Bundy in the 2019 film, "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile." Combined with famous series like "American Horror Story," pop culture provides consumers with narratives that are constantly evolving to create new storylines, said Golub.

But despite the apparent overflow of true crime into pop culture, he clarifies that not all crime is remixed equally. Stories that don't make the jump to the pop culture landscape create "silences" that speak to society's unwillingness to confront certain issues of violence.

"In this way, popular culture can serve as an archive of discomfort, a record of the absence of reckoning, an invisible register of the crossovers that never occur. As much as true crime diffuses American pop culture, it haunts it, and the silences might show us what's really at stake here," Golub writes in his foreword.

Despite this history, he said that the criteria that makes true crime stories eligible for crossover could change in the future, especially in light of the pandemic and recent shifts in social media.

"The key will be whether everyday Americans can learn about and analyze these issues deeply enough, in a sophisticated way, and then communicate their perspective in more than a meme or sound bite," Golub explained.

Golub's research will continue to unfold next spring in his "Introduction to American Popular Culture" class, where he will teach students about the intersections between true crime and fandom.

"Increasingly, pop culture is something that is created by everyday people, by fans and influencers rather than corporations. Given this power of popular culture, it's important to know why true crime is a story that holds so much sway over us, and to understand how we talk about true crime - and how we don't talk about it."

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True Crime and Pop Culture: A Professor Discovers Connections | CSUF News

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Podcasts playing in freeway traffic, star-studded movie casts and TikTok dance challenges come together to mold true crime into entertainment - setting the stage for "real-life monsters " to take hold of American pop culture.

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When I first came up with my three ideas I had initially thought of the sociological effects documentaries have on the subjects and the audience. After receiving a reply from another classmate they mentioned how specifying it to True Crime could be an even more interesting analysis.

I would like to now examine the effects True Crime Documentaries have on audiences sociologically. As someone who does indulge in True Crime I have noticed how desensitized it's audiences have become. I want to explore how this may effect our everyday interactions with crime today.

As for formatting my project is by tying in True Crime Podcasts and Violence in mass media. I could see myself potentially making the project into a documentary format itself with just videos/articles found on the internet.

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I need to develop a better understanding of the sociological imagination.

I need to look into different types of True Crime Podcasts.

I need to finish reading majority of the book to continue gathering information about sociology.

I need to read into articles revolving around crimes happening today and from the 1970s-90s. I think this would give me more insight on how they were treated then vs now.

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The Revolutionary Practice of Black Feminisms discusses the why behind black feminism. This term was coined in regard to the fact that being both black and a woman cannot be separated from one another. This was first brought up when Sojourner Truth linked the movement to abolish slavery with the women's rights movement. Because of this it interlinked race and gender confirming they could not be separated. Black women's needs are of both of the needs of white women and black men. This can also be considered when addressing Queer black women. In 1983, Alice Walker developed the term "Womanist" that included queer black women. Black Feminism ensures that you cannot be one without considering all aspects of what a black woman may be.

"The club movement ushered in a new era of intellectual, artistic, and philosophical production by black women about their own experiences." I decided to pull this quote specifically from the article because it addressed that although the clubs may of been controversial it is still so important to recognize why marginalized communities need communities. These communities can help people to feel more accepted and heard when the rest of society is undervaluing them. If these women did not have a safe place to grow as individuals their growth would of been stunted. This was an important moment in history because black women were able to progress in their education and nurture their creative parts of themselves. I think this can be related to my final project because it makes me wonder if there were more spaces like this today would their be less crime?

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True Crime has become so popular in this day and age it's considered it's own genre. It ranges across different forms of media including podcasts and television shows. The question stands how does this content affect its audiences's overall well being? With social media everything has become more accessible. Including real life stories about crimes, trials, and large historic events. A Boston University media researcher, Kathryn Coduto, questioned 280 adults about their social media usage and if they engage with true crime content. The adults who said they engaged in content about true crime stories often obsess over the stories. She mentions how often people use social media as their first form of research. A key takeaway is to separate yourself from parasocial relationship forming with the case. Taking the steps to recognize how it's affecting a persons well being is important. Our brains are not supposed to be so desensitized.

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Why We’re So Fascinated with True Crime Stories, and How It May Be Impacting Our Well-Being

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BU researcher Kathryn D. Coduto has studied why it’s hard to disconnect from cases like those of Karen Read or Gabby Petito

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Relation to Sociological Topic: "The internet as a social network"

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Relation to Sociological Topic: "The internet as a social network"

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The internet similar to social media is a place where dependent on class most can have unlimited access to different subjects. It has become a place where people of all backgrounds can connect with one another. True crime audiences have become a subculture themselves. When a popular true crime documentary or tv show comes out onto a streaming platform it is all you see on the internet for weeks. Everyone has a take on what they think happened. The popularity sparks news articles, infographics, and digital conversations. It is really amazing how one thing can bring so many different people together. Although fascinating to see there are real life effects. An example of this is Ryan Murphys "Monsters" series. His first series about Jeffrey Dahmer caused outrage among the victims families. Reopening their trauma for profit. His second series of the Menendez brothers sparked national debate about whether or not they were justified in killing their parents. During this debate new evidence was found reopening the case. I don't think we as a society have realized how powerful the internet really is.

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Research different True Crime podcasts and compare and contrast them using a specified criteria.

Find and evaluate multiple articles on how true crime affects our popular or "pop" culture.

Book the Podcast recording room in the UNCSA library for after break. That way I can record the podcast aspect of my project.

Create a visual component for the project. (Presentation, graphic, etc.)

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Relation to Sociological Connection: "True crimes effect on Cultural Progression"

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Relation to Sociological Connection: "True crimes effect on Cultural Progression"

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Chapter 2 in the essentials of sociology discusses culture and society. When culture is discussed peoples minds immediately go to the fine arts rather than the values held by members of society. Culture is widely used in sociology as it is one of the most important properties to human socials. Another aspect of culture are the physical things created by our hands to progress aspects of our every-day lives. Society and culture are connected in the interpersonal relationships created within them. Without a society there would be no culture. Human culture continues to develop as we advance socially which can be seen through the technologies created.

"Many aspects of culture characteristic of our lives today—cars, smartphones, laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi, running water, electric light—depend on technological innovations that have been made only very recently in human history."  I specifically pointed out this quote because of the discussions I have had with classmates in regard to social media and how relevant it has become to our everyday lives in the past few years. Society has begun to recognize the negative aspects of social media. There has been slight progression in an attempt to fix this issue, but no major shift has come into play. I have noticed some will take a break from socials, but ultimately come back and feel the same way they did as when they left. Social media and the internet has become almost vital to our society. This is where we find aspects of our societies pop culture and current events. I can open my social media app and find memes, trends, and relevant news stories. This can be seen through infographics, specific accounts, and the explore pages. I can compare this to my project by associating how as our culture continues to progress so does our accessibility and what we as a culture deem important.