TikTok needs to stay out of the Petito case
True crime is a genre that entices many. The allure of mystery, intrigue of human folly and the general ecstasy of clue-searching allow for fans to feel a rush of adrenaline akin to a Sherlock mind palace sequence without the emotional investment of reality. And while that’s well and good for cold cases long gone, there’s a difference when the victim in question is actively missing – the stakes of the case are palpably rooted in the present. And it is incredibly disgusting for someone to use an ongoing case for internet clout.
A hyper-sensationalized example of this phenomenon is the ongoing Gabby Petito case. Petito was a 22-year-old woman who went on a cross-country trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. The couple embarked on their trip in June of this year, and Petito – à la most young people who grew up with the internet – was documenting it on social media. Fast forward to September 2021: A body has been found and the entire country is entranced with the chase, especially influencers.
While social media has played a positive role in the Petito case, there is also a lot that can be said for social media influencers – particularly of the TikTok and YouTube variety – that use these ongoing cases as fodder for their own personal profit. How exciting is it to have the scoop on the next Black Dahlia? To be the first to get in on the next Zodiac Killer? Between online acclaim and the money that comes with virality, influencers have a huge interest in profiting off these cases. Sex and serial killers sell.
Maybe this behavior could be justified if there weren’t mourning families bombarded at every angle with the public’s hottest takes on this whodunit. If it’s not fawning over actual serial killers, then it’s random people on the internet posting unsolicited opinions about things they most likely don’t know enough about. It’s heartbreaking enough to go through grief, and that’s before the internet ruins it further.
Social media influencers are a lot more powerful than we want to admit. When they take a stance or highlight an issue, people listen. When social media stars began appearing at the Black Lives Matter marches over the summer of 2020, they helped spotlight the injustices faced by Black people in America, regardless of whether they performed their activism for internet clout. Despite seemingly bad intentions, progress was made.
Intentions do matter because Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie are real people – this case is not a fun Marvel movie to find Easter eggs in. You’re not going to get a gold star and a book deal for throwing out a crazy theory that might come true – you’re just a jerk.
