#TrueCrime: Digital Culture, Ethics and True Crime Audiences

This book offers the first book-length study of user-generated, social media-based true crime content. The book considers the large and varied true crime community, outlining their at times contradictory needs and desires, from those who wish to partake in acts of sleuthing and fannish behaviours, to those who seek spaces to articulate marginalised opinions and challenge ethically problematic practices. The collection is divided into three sections: “The Ethics of Watching and Doing,” which concerns the ethical pitfalls of true crime content on social media; “Participatory Culture,” which deals with the acts of participatory culture that define not only contemporary true crime fandom but also nearly all digitally-based fan activities; and “True Crime Communities,” which considers the enthusiasts who both consume true crime and seek out others online to share their interests.

This book will appeal to those researching the true crime genre, fan practices, contemporary social media usage and the ethics of screened representation.