The True Crime Community (TCC) is an online fandom interested in criminals, particularly high-profile mass killers.[1] Several members of the TCC have gone on to commit their own crimes.[1] It has been linked to nihilistic violent extremism[2] and hybristophilia.[1][3]
Perpetrators of various school shootings in Russia may have been involved in the fandom,[4] as well as the school shooting in Jokela, Finland in 2007. Activity associated with the TCC increased significantly in 2024.[5] In the aftermath of the 2026 Teotihuacan shooting, some newspapers, including Milenio and El Universal, speculated about the perpetrator's alleged ties to TCC.[6][7]
See also
edit- Columbine effect – Legacy of the 1999 Columbine massacre
- Copycat crime – Criminal act that is inspired by a previous crime
- Internet homicide – Type of killing in which victim and perpetrator met online
- Online youth radicalization
- Ecofascism#Association with violence
- Shock site – Website intended to offend or disgust its viewers
- Terrorgram – Network of neo-fascist Telegram channels
- Violent extremism – Extremism perpetrated through violent means
References
edit- ^ a b c "Memetic violence: How the True Crime Community generates its own killers". Institute for Strategic Dialogue. 2 October 2025. Archived from the original on 19 March 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ Ondrak, Joe; Vitelli, Laura (18 December 2025). "Participatory Memetic Violence: Legend, Ostension, and Ideologically Diffuse Violence". GNET. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ Smith, Cadenhead & Broekaert 2026, p. 19.
- ^ Kozachenko, Dima (20 January 2018). "Сообщество тру-крайм: как интерес к убийствам превратился в подростковую субкультуру" [True Crime Community: How an interest in murder became a teenage subculture]. Afisha Daily (in Russian). Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ Smith, Cadenhead & Broekaert 2026, p. 17.
- ^ Brito, Omar (20 April 2026). "The True Crime Community: el fenómeno social al que estaría ligado el tirador de Teotihuacan" [The True Crime Community: the social phenomenon to which the Teotihuacan shooter appears to be linked]. Milenio. Archived from the original on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ^ "¿Qué es la True Crime Community? la liga que une al ataque de Teotihuacán con Columbine" [What is the True Crime Community? The link between the Teotihuacan attack and Columbine]. El Universal. 21 April 2026. Archived from the original on 23 April 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
Works cited
edit- Smith, Peter; Cadenhead, Cat; Broekaert, Clara (2026). "True Crime Community: Understanding the Depths of Digital Fandom and Performative Violence". CTC Sentinel. 19 (2). West Point: Combating Terrorism Center: 17–26.
Further reading
edit- McFadden, Simon (2026). "Exploring Serial Killer Dark Fandom Practice in the Digisphere". In Hobbs, Simon; Hoffman, Megan (eds.). #Truecrime: digital culture, ethics and true crime audiences. Palgrave fan studies. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 279–304. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-99390-9_14. ISBN 978-3-031-99390-9.
- "Terror without ideology? The rise of nihilistic violence – An ISD Investigation". Institute for Strategic Dialogue. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
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