Get ready, everyone: every news outlet you can think of is readying their “one year in lockdown” packages, full of frustrated salon owners, angry anti-vaxxers, and (vaguely condescending?) reminders to wash your hands.
We’ll leave that type of coverage to the experts, but there’s one aspect of the milestone we do want to talk about — how a year in global health crisis has shaped the way you consume true crime.
Speaking for myself, that means that my podcast listening is more focused (but, unlike what I expected back in March, I am indeed listening). I’m not commuting, or going anywhere at all, really, so the only time I listen is when I’m doing stuff in the house. That means I’m paying way more attention than I would if I were driving (this is probably a good thing), with the result that I have a lot less patience with shitty or slow narratives.
Hmm, there’s probably something in there generally about my pandemic attention span, too. Longreads feel like more work these days, and books? Forget it. Not happening.
What we’re wondering is how a year working from home/avoiding gatherings/managing the stress of a pandemic is reflected in your true crime habits — anywhere from topics that no annoy you, to media you have embraced or dropped. What’s changed? — EB
I'm listening to more audiobooks at/near bedtime -- ones I want to have consumed but don't need to have a close-read opinion on. Lighter, processier stories are better for this (ID cons, forgery) but it depends on the narrator. -- SDB
My podcast consumption feels up because I've been taking long neighborhood and nearby trail walk/runs. I managed to break my reading record last year and I don't really know how to explain that because in loosing my commute, I really obliterated my main reading time. But since my family life is pretty much regulated to indoors now and most of my kids' stuff extracurricular is on hold, I find myself with more hanging out around the house time on the weekends and I just read any chance I get. It helps that my kids have crossed the threshold of (mostly) being able to entertain themselves. I read a fair amount of true crime this past year, but have also tried to catch up on other non-fiction I seem to have missed the boat on in recent years and whatever fiction my book club is reading. With a few exceptions, I haven't felt drawn to tv true crime much at all. I fall back on re-runs of Murder, She Wrote, Golden Girls, and other creature comforts!
This community has shaped my true crime consumption, I've leaned into it more as I have with other activities that have a group I can share with (watching movies with a WhatsApp chat) and things I can craft along with - so more TV miniseries, more long reads, generally more. But I do tend to go for lighter podcasts these days as i listen to them while working and i need less murder, more pop culture nonsense.
I’m trying out more TC podcasts and also unsubbing quicker than ever. If I find it bad, I’m out. I used to do the “wait and see” method. As far as TV/movies I believe I have watched them all which is frustrating. I like to needlepoint and cross Stitch at night so it’s tough to read subtitles for all the non English stuff out there (full disclosure I’ve watched a lot of those too, yikes). I’d say my reading books (all genres) is down. Attention span issues. I used to average 50-70 a year but not even close now.
I'm listening to fewer podcasts since I'm doing less driving for work. I'm watching much more TV and a lot is true crime. I just discovered How it Really Happened on HBO Max and finding it fascinating. These are mostly well-known cases but there have been details in each that I didn't know.
I'm listening to more audiobooks at/near bedtime -- ones I want to have consumed but don't need to have a close-read opinion on. Lighter, processier stories are better for this (ID cons, forgery) but it depends on the narrator. -- SDB
My podcast consumption feels up because I've been taking long neighborhood and nearby trail walk/runs. I managed to break my reading record last year and I don't really know how to explain that because in loosing my commute, I really obliterated my main reading time. But since my family life is pretty much regulated to indoors now and most of my kids' stuff extracurricular is on hold, I find myself with more hanging out around the house time on the weekends and I just read any chance I get. It helps that my kids have crossed the threshold of (mostly) being able to entertain themselves. I read a fair amount of true crime this past year, but have also tried to catch up on other non-fiction I seem to have missed the boat on in recent years and whatever fiction my book club is reading. With a few exceptions, I haven't felt drawn to tv true crime much at all. I fall back on re-runs of Murder, She Wrote, Golden Girls, and other creature comforts!
This community has shaped my true crime consumption, I've leaned into it more as I have with other activities that have a group I can share with (watching movies with a WhatsApp chat) and things I can craft along with - so more TV miniseries, more long reads, generally more. But I do tend to go for lighter podcasts these days as i listen to them while working and i need less murder, more pop culture nonsense.
I’m trying out more TC podcasts and also unsubbing quicker than ever. If I find it bad, I’m out. I used to do the “wait and see” method. As far as TV/movies I believe I have watched them all which is frustrating. I like to needlepoint and cross Stitch at night so it’s tough to read subtitles for all the non English stuff out there (full disclosure I’ve watched a lot of those too, yikes). I’d say my reading books (all genres) is down. Attention span issues. I used to average 50-70 a year but not even close now.
I'm listening to fewer podcasts since I'm doing less driving for work. I'm watching much more TV and a lot is true crime. I just discovered How it Really Happened on HBO Max and finding it fascinating. These are mostly well-known cases but there have been details in each that I didn't know.