It seems that the general public just can’t get enough of criminals these days. Who is and isn’t guilty, how a crime was committed and what will happen next keeps the obsession growing. No matter how hard we try to ignore it, people are constantly running to social media to get the newest updates on sentencing or who-done-its.
If you have opened a social media app, read the news or even turned onNetflix lately, you should recognize at least some of these names. Luigi Mangione, Erik and Lyle Menendez and Gypsy Rose Blanchard all skyrocketed to fame after their experiences with crime. People became fascinated with their stories. Wanting to know more details, why they did it or even if they are truly guilty only heightened their “fame” as they soon became notorious household names.
Natalie Cole, a senior at the University of Miami said, “The first case I became really interested in was Gypsy Rose because that was big in the media, especially when she was coming out of jail. Having her on talk shows and having Kim Kardashian going to see her gave her more screen time.”
Another senior at the University of Miami, Claire Keebaugh, said that for her, “Growing up my mom used to put on the news every morning, so I was always cognizant of what was happening in the world. I got into cases like Jon Benét Ramsey and Elizabeth Smart.
Social Media as News
Newspapers have been traded in for online articles and news reporters have taken to TikTok. It’s no secret that a majority of the younger generations get their news from social media. This is no different when it comes to crime. Some TikTokers dedicate their entire pages to explaining or debunking crimes and myths surrounding them.
“I try to watch the news every day and read the New York Times,” said Keebaugh. “But I also get information from TikTok… and Spotify podcasts like Crime Junkie.” By taking crimes and the people who committed them to social media, it has created a whole new wave of memes and edits. Have you ever seen a thirst trap edit of the Menendez brothers? At this point, who hasn’t? These edits and memes can often change how the public views them while increasing their fame. “I think [the edits and memes ]
romanticize them a lot more,” said Cole.
Louvre or Hate It
The public seemed to have accepted that good old fashioned art heists were of the past. This all changed in October 2025 when one of the largest art heists in history was completed at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The public’s obsession quickly turned to social media. As details and videos came out, everyone was glued to their phones for the newest updates.
“I like a good story. When it comes to making a good TV show out of it, you need a good story. Something like the Louvre heist feels like something out of a movie,” said Cole.
The heist occurred just weeks before Halloween, and it quickly became a popular costume last year. People were seen on social media wearing black clothing with a construction vest to mimic the thief’s outfits. They even added costume jewelry to symbolize the stolen jewels.
What makes these people and what they have done so compelling? Why do we care that the two brothers killed their parents or that a mother pretended her daughter was sick?
“Either the severity of their crimes or their attractiveness. Like Ted Bundy, the Menendez brothers or Jeffery Dahmer,” said Keebaugh. “The ballsiest of the crimes like the Louvre heist and the efficiency in which they did this. It’s a weird idea that people think good criminals are automatically attractive now.”
It seems that the public and media’s obsession with criminals directly correlates to how attractive they are. People’s obsession with Luigi Mangione started not after he shot and killed a person, but after people saw what he looked like. Or sometimes, it’s the complete opposite.
“I think for Luigi, it’s attractiveness and with Gypsy Rose, it’s the opposite because it’s the shock factor that made her shave her head and pull out her teeth,” said Cole.
Most of these high-profile crimes tend to get their own TV shows or movies nowadays. Whether it’s on Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s “Monsters” mini-series, Crime Junkies podcast or a Hulu Original Series these stories are bound to get the public’s attention.
words_ lucy carlson-pietraszek. photo_jonathan padrino. design_charlotte deangeli.
This article was published in Distraction’s Spring 2026 print issue.
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