The Influence of True Crime Media on General Knowledge of Crime and the American Investigation Process

• In Event: Crime and Justice in "True Crime" Media

Abstract

Every day in modern American society, individuals are encountered with stories of crime and the details that go along with it. Whether it be through local news stories, the latest Netflix documentary, or scrolling through various social media timelines, millions are engrossed by the details and intrigued by the story. Rapidly increasing research into the effects of true crime media on the perceptions of crime over the last decade has consistently shown that media (likely) plays a part. However, research to date has not focused more in-depth on how much people understand and “know” about the processes used to catch criminals or of crime itself. The researcher seeks to examine this knowledge, if any, of an opportunity sample of the general population. Through a 2x2 factorial, between-persons, non-repeated, mixed measures design, the researcher will collect, analyze, and apply test data to investigate the effects of true crime media on knowledge. The researcher will also address any statistical and social significance the data may present.

Author

• Marlee Brewer Smith, Tiffin University