Why crime content is popular: Exploring cognitive and emotional motivations

Consumers of content about serial killers watch or read it to experience intense emotions that are often lacking in everyday life and to understand what drives people to commit crimes. However, such content does not contribute to increased aggression. These conclusions were drawn by sociologists at HSE University. Their findings were published in Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal.

Research into the modern media market shows that content about serial killers is popular around the world, including movies, true crime series, short videos, and documents detailing the crimes, investigations, and biographies of those involved. .

British sociologist Abbie Bentham and Canadian sociologist Kevin Haggerty point out that people perceive stories about serial killers as a form of entertainment that allows them to experience intense emotions. Canadian sociologist and philosopher Ryan Brolle suggests that this is also a way for individuals to escape from real-life problems.

But some have expressed concern that the obsession with stories about serial killers could lead to an increase in violence. To explore this question, HSE researchers Oksana Mikhailova, Darya Osokina, Lev Lyubich and Ekaterina Glina conducted a series of in-depth interviews to find out more about Russian youth’s consumption of criminal content. I researched motives. A total of 26 young men and women between the ages of 18 and 36 living in 14 Russian cities were interviewed.

The main questions revolved around what kind of media content you like about serial killers, how you discover it, and what you consider when choosing movies, videos, and podcasts. did. Respondents included fans of fictional television shows, series, documentaries, true crime podcasts, books, popular science articles, videos, and social media posts.

The researchers focused specifically on the motivation for consuming media content, rather than its impact on viewers. These responses indicate that interest in violent content is not driven by a desire to witness violence itself, but does not cause a desire to commit violence in real life.

This study identified two types of motivations that drive the consumption of content about serial killers: cognitive and emotional. Cognitive motivation involves the desire to understand an offender’s motivations by linking their behavior to childhood trauma, psychological problems, and other factors. This allows viewers to gain a deeper understanding of the causes of human behavior. On the other hand, content about serial killers provides a way to experience intense emotions and often compensates for the lack of excitement in everyday life.

“Interest in stories about serial killers, whether in series or podcast form, is not about heightened brutality. Respondents are not justifying serial killers’ actions; , said such crimes should be prevented. Ms. Oksana Mikhailova, Researcher, Center for Contemporary Child Studies, HSE Educational Research Institute.

Researchers emphasize that interest in these stories is usually driven by curiosity and the search for new experiences. These findings could help psychologists develop support programs for young people experiencing emotional hunger and stress.